Climate change alters outdoor activity suitability and creates asymmetric bidirectional environmental impacts across 47 studies
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Key Takeaway
Note the asymmetric bidirectional relationship between climate change and outdoor activity suitability.
This systematic review synthesizes evidence from 47 studies examining the impact of climate change on outdoor activities. The scope covers global settings and includes secondary outcomes such as recreation demand, site availability, and ecological pressures. The review highlights that climate change affects outdoor activities through rising temperatures, extreme weather, altered precipitation and snow conditions, and environmental degradation. Evidence indicates an asymmetric bidirectional relationship between these factors.
Feedback evidence remains comparatively limited and mainly concerns emissions and ecological pressures associated with transportation, tourism consumption, facility operation, artificial snowmaking, energy use, and resource consumption. These factors play a secondary but non-negligible role in the overall system. The review notes that feedback evidence remains comparatively limited as a key constraint on current understanding.
The authors recommend that future research should distinguish climate suitability from actual participation. They also suggest strengthening integrated assessments of carbon emissions, adaptation, risk governance, and low-carbon transition pathways in outdoor activities. This practice relevance applies to stakeholders managing outdoor recreation and environmental sustainability.
View Original Abstract ↓
IntroductionClimate change is reshaping the suitability, participation conditions, and risk environment of outdoor activities, but the feedback effects of outdoor activities on climate change remain less synthesized.MethodsThis systematic review searched Web of Science, PubMed, EBSCO, Wiley, SpringerLink, and ProQuest for English-language studies published up to December 27, 2024. Following predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and PRISMA 2020 reporting, 47 studies published between 2003 and 2024 were included.ResultsEvidence indicates an asymmetric bidirectional relationship. Climate change affects outdoor activities through rising temperatures, extreme weather, altered precipitation and snow conditions, and environmental degradation, thereby influencing climate suitability, participation behavior, recreation demand, site availability, and health and safety risks. Five themes were identified: climate suitability and activity opportunities; participation behavior and recreation demand; health and safety risks; feedback from outdoor activities to climate change; and adaptation and mitigation strategies. Feedback evidence remains comparatively limited and mainly concerns emissions and ecological pressures associated with transportation, tourism consumption, facility operation, artificial snowmaking, energy use, and resource consumption.DiscussionClimate-change effects predominate, whereas feedback from outdoor activities plays a secondary but non-negligible role. Future research should distinguish climate suitability from actual participation and strengthen integrated assessments of carbon emissions, adaptation, risk governance, and low-carbon transition pathways in outdoor activities.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42025636854. Unique Identifier: CRD42025636854.
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