From flooded fields, to snowless ski slopes, to temperatures too hot to exercise, the climate crisis is in every way a crisis for the world of sports. Many of the
have sports industries which are often environmentally harmful – in the United States, the
was found to be the NFL, producing around 21 metric tons of carbon dioxide (tCO2) per game. The effects are already being felt, with a significant
across multiple sports. The sports industry cannot afford to drop the ball on climate change - if sports are to have a future, they need a planet that can sustain them.
How do sports contribute to the climate crisis?
Sporting events have a unique ability to connect people from all over the world, yet this unfortunately comes at a price in the form of carbon emissions. While many might assume that car fuel emissions represent a large part of
Formula 1’s annual carbon footprint of more than 223,000 tCO2e, they actually only account for less than one percent, with logistics forming the largest share. In soccer, the
total emissions of the men’s FIFA World Cup amounted to more than 3.6 million tCO2e in 2022. Naturally, bringing sporting events to all corners of the world is to be welcomed, but this should be balanced with sustainability in mind, and Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United drew criticism for their unconventional 2024 friendly in Australia. Taking place just three days after the previous season had ended, it placed both teams at the top of the
Premier League air miles ranking ahead of the 2024/25 season.
What can sports do to help fight climate change?
One sport or industry cannot stop the climate crisis on its own, yet there are many measures that clubs, governing bodies, and other stakeholders can take. One proposal is to divest from the fossil fuel industry, which plays an active role in sports – as of March 2024, the
sport with the most sponsorship deals with fossil fuel companies was soccer, with 59 such deals active at the highest level. However, the impact of withdrawing such financial support from areas that badly need it is something that should also be considered: the
share of female professional soccer players supporting an immediate fossil fuel sponsor ban is small, with a much larger share preferring their clubs to accept fossil fuel money while working with sponsors to become greener. In any case, companies would do well to boost their environmental credentials, with the
share of sports fans saying they try to only buy from socially and environmentally responsible companies amounting to 47 percent. Ultimately, while everyone involved in sports can play their part, it is only fair that the greatest responsibility falls on those with the most.
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