Football to fight climate change
THE “Beautiful Game” is said to do so much more than the actual reason for the sport—it has seen a Christmas truce between warring nations.
By the same token, two nations have gone to war because of a result and is used to fight racism. It is a source of national pride and brings together people when politics won’t.
It is used for charitable causes such as UNICEF’s activities.
Now, here’s a new one—in the Marshall Islands, the fledgling game is used to bring much needed awareness and action to the effects of climate change on the Marshall Islands.
When you hear of the Marshall Islands, chances are the first thing that comes to mind is these islands are used to test nuclear weapons. So one has to wonder about radiation sickness or even Godzilla.
Recently however, football has gained a foothold around the chain of a thousand-plus islands’ population of under 40,000 people.
Unfortunately, they do not have FIFA-regulation pitches and can only play futsal to take advantage of the dozens and dozens of basketball and volleyball courts as the latter two are the most popular in this sovereign nation.
Yes, it is no longer part of the American Commonwealth.
Remember when UNICEF’s logo first adorned FC Barcelona’s kit? That was massive. It called greater attention to UNICEF’s activities especially among the young.
While that might be apples and oranges because the Marshall Islands aren’t playing in FIFA-sanctioned events, they do sport on their national kit designs of their flora and fauna as well as the number “1.5” that is the world’s agreement to keep the temperature at 1.5 Celsius that is a safe level for Global Warming.
And, there is a quote from one of the islands’ prominent citizens—“We deserve to thrive.”
The Marshall Islands are affected by rising water levels. Flooding is now constant and it is only getting worse.
So how can a nation not even sanctioned by FIFA call attention to its plight?
They play abroad.
They tap into their citizens who have migrated to bring out their stories.
My days of collecting football kits are long over, but that doesn’t mean I won’t get one to help out. After all, I live in the Philippines, which is one of the hardest hit nations when it comes to climate change. One nation’s problem with this crisis is everyone’s. It affects everyone.
It is frightening, really, to think you could lose your home to the rising oceans. So when the Marshall Island’s national team calls attention to it, you bet they feel it. This is definitely bigger than the game.
We should all find a way to not only fight this, but to help everyone affected by this. And when we do so, that is what makes this game even more beautiful.