Game on! How sports can advance climate action

With the world still buzzing from the Euros and Copa América, the Olympics now take center stage. As we travel the countries of the world through these international competitions, it's a powerful reminder of how sports transcend borders and ignite global change. Beyond the thrill of competition and national pride, sports have a long history of being a catalyst for progress.

In the 20th century, Muhammad Ali opposed the Vietnam War and Billie Jean King fought for gender equality. More recently, NFL star Colin Kaepernick took a knee to raise awareness about racism, and English footballer Marcus Rashford helped secure free meals for impoverished schoolchildren. Can sport also help address the greatest challenge of our time?

Enjoyed by billions across the planet, sport is a vast, inclusive platform. It can play a key role in raising awareness, influencing behaviors and changing attitudes to climate action. In some cases, it can even pioneer high-impact solutions to reduce global emissions.

Leading by example

Before it can influence others, sport must take a look at its own carbon footprint.

Elite sport has rightly been criticized for its environmental record. The 2022 FIFA World Cup alone, which took place in Qatar, produced 3.63 million tons of CO2, the equivalent to Montenegro's emissions over an entire year. To make any kind of impact, sports teams and their governing bodies must start by championing sustainable practices themselves. And some trailblazers are already taking the initiative.

Facilities are perhaps the most visible sign of a team’s commitment to sustainability, something the Atlanta Falcons recognized when building the new Mercedez-Benz Stadium. It became the first professional sports stadium to receive LEED Platinum status. This urgency has filtered down to the local level, with British football team Forest Green Rovers set to build a 5,000-capacity stadium entirely out of timber and generate renewable electricity on site. Facilities like these are used constantly throughout the year, so turning them green is a big opportunity.

Another focus area is how events and matchdays are managed. The Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena diverts, composts, reuses or recycles more than 90% of its waste, becoming the world’s first zero-waste sports venue. The Paris Olympics 2024, meanwhile, is vowing to be the “greenest ever games,” using mostly existing infrastructure and putting public transport at the heart of its sustainability strategy. Organizers are bolstering the city’s infrastructure, so that every event is accessible by train, bus, bike or tram, targeting a 50% reduction in carbon emissions compared to previous games. Events like the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix are thinking even more creatively, enabling eco-conscious fans to plant mangroves for every plastic bottle they hand in.

That the captain should lead by example is one of the oldest truisms in sport, and it is just as relevant when it comes to sustainability. Sporting teams and organizations will need to convince fans that they’re taking sustainability seriously for them to engage with climate campaigns.

Winning hearts and minds

Sports stars shaping behaviors and opinions is nothing new. Through sponsorships and advertising deals, they’ve been doing it long before we had ever even heard of terms like “influencer.” While this has always tended to be commercially driven, some are using their platform to raise awareness about important issues, including climate change.

Some athletes have become ambassadors for important sustainability NGOs, amplifying their advocacy work and calling for donations. Tennis star Andy Murray, for example, is a well-known ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). International Olympic athletes came together in a powerful video urging world leaders to take robust climate action at COP26.

Others act as role models, inspiring their fans to adopt more environmentally friendly lifestyles. F1 star Lewis Hamilton is one of many high-profile athletes who advocate for a vegan diet. Meanwhile, the UAE Team Emirates cycling team have pledged to go net-zero by 2030. They have implemented various measures to cut carbon from their operations and encourage people to travel by bike through a range of community initiatives.

High-profile athletes can also make a difference by taking more direct action. Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins has launched Cricket for Climate, an initiative helping grassroots clubs switch to cleaner energy. Cummins is also part of The Cool Down campaign, a network of fellow Australian professional sportsmen and women pushing for their government to adopt stronger climate measures.

Sports stars are among the most revered celebrities in our society. They are in a unique position as role models who, by embracing sustainable lifestyles and championing sustainable causes, can influence fans around the world to go green. In an age where trust in politicians, institutions and media is dwindling, their ability to inform opinions and influence behaviors cannot be underestimated.

Pioneering game-changing innovations

While many recognize sport’s “soft” power in advocating for climate action, its role in advancing important new technologies is often overlooked.

Competition is the essence of sport. When sustainability is integrated into that competition, teams wage an innovation arms race, refining technologies that can accelerate the green transition.

Sail GP set up an Impact League running alongside its main racing series. Teams clock up points for sustainable measures and initiatives, the eventual winner receiving a cash prize to donate to their chosen causes. This year it has already seen teams redesigning parts to minimize plastic waste and installing solar panels to power their support infrastructure.

Gains are being made on land, too. Formula E and Extreme E are pitting the most advanced electric vehicles against one another on race and rally tracks – and the competition is fierce. It has already drawn in some of the world’s most renowned engineering companies like McLaren, pushing the limits of battery and charging technology to gain an edge over their opponents. Closer to home, some of the world’s best AI driving models are put to the test in the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL). These competitions are breeding breakthroughs that could have a tangible impact in reducing global transport emissions.

Sport provides the perfect conditions (and, crucially, funding) for innovators to thrive. As they vie to outdo one another, teams redefine what is possible, building or improving tools which will be instrumental to the net-zero transition. Perhaps more sports could follow suit to harness sporting competition for sustainable means.

Down but not out

If humanity’s struggle against climate change were a sports match, we would be several points down with only minutes to spare. And in this game, a loss is something we simply cannot come back from.

Sport has the potential to play a key role in gaining ground on climate change – whether by shaping opinions, mobilizing fans or honing clean technologies. Yet, currently, this potential is only sparingly transformed into meaningful action.

Teams, athletes and sporting bodies can reach billions of people across the world with campaigns to raise awareness and inspire action to address climate change. But they must start by tackling their own considerable emissions. And in this effort, competitors must become teammates, to set common goals and share knowledge.

From the roar of the crowd to the quiet revolution of innovation, sport can lead the charge toward a more sustainable future for all.