Using sports as a tool to fight climate change - sportanddev.org
Using sports as a tool to fight climate change | sportanddev
Using sports as a tool to fight climate change
The world must not make the same mistake in tackling another global emergency – the climate crisis.
Sports can play a role in championing progress, and leading by example.
A true commitment to leadership on climate change gives a path for individual athletes – whether playing for a top club, or young players from grassroots organisations – to transcend sport and leave a lasting legacy that may even surpass their achievements on the pitch.
For example, days after winning his maiden F1 world title in 2016, Nico Rosberg retired. Today, he is a well-known sustainability entrepreneur.
According to a report by The Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Company in 2020, 66 per cent of the 2,004 respondents surveyed, and 75 per cent of millennial respondents from the same group, said they factored in sustainability when making purchases.
The survey is an eye-opener, that priorities are shifting towards a more sustainable living.
Sport has the characteristics required to influence the public. It can champion causes through social media, engaging all social classes.
Spanish football club Real Madrid has 135 million followers on its Instagram page, while Indian cricketer Virat Kohli has 54.6 million followers on his Twitter account.
The youths of today are interested in following personalities, demanding a closer relationship with their favourite players.
Sports-related topics are always trending on social media daily, whether it’s regarding an announcement, or just sheer trash-talking.
Workshops can help inform spectators and athletes about the impact of climate change. This can inspire a wider range of stakeholders to act for the cause. Athletes can serve as ambassadors for such initiatives.
Investments in physical infrastructure, most often stadiums, and venues, can be used on cleaner, more economical energy alternatives, as well as to encourage responsible consumption and production, such as through recycling and efficient waste management programmes, green spaces, and other processes.
It is critical to take action to reach net zero for all aspects of the business.
To effectively monitor, record, and verify carbon emissions, a clear and strong strategy is needed. Sports organisations need to make sure sustainability ideas are integrated into every aspect of their business.
By covering games and events, and speaking with subject-matter experts, the media helps spread awareness of, and interest in sports and other activities.
Broadcasters and the media may be under social pressure to identify, support, and reflect environmental causes in the way they present sports.
The competitions they broadcast may also need to live up to the expectations of the broadcasters themselves. This may be in line with their values, but it also has the potential to have a direct and advantageous effect on the organisation.
Association with players, athletes, and responsible sporting organisations can be beneficial to partners and sponsors. With these collaborations, sponsors’ and partners’ reputations can be improved, which in turn, can increase customer goodwill and brand loyalty.
To improve their reputation, some businesses like to sponsor their preferred sports. But sports organisations should clearly draw the line and reject any such deals after thorough analysis. These sponsorship agreements are expected to come under more scrutiny (for sports washing/greenwashing) from customers, investors, and other businesses.
One of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions is private transportation. Can we reduce the carbon footprint of our trips to sporting events in car-dominated cities – more so in developed economies?
All parties involved, including the event organisers, must start thinking about how to make fans aware of their carbon footprint.
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About the author
Saurabh Gandle is a researcher with a multidisciplinary interest in climate change, sustainable development, and social science. He was the Climate Ambassador with the Global Youth Climate Network and a Media for Social Change fellow with Yes Foundation in India.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”