Latest news with #SportsforClimateActionFramework
Time Magazine
4 days ago
- Sport
- Time Magazine
This New Tool Will Help Sports Teams Cut Their Carbon Footprint
Sports teams around the world are backing a first of its kind playbook to help the industry measure its carbon footprint. The Carbon Methodology and Calculator for Sport, launched by sustainability and social impact consultancy Think Beyond, aims to create a consistent standard by which teams can measure emissions and make inroads towards climate action. Thirty-five organisations, including World Athletics, Liverpool FC, and LIV Golf have already adopted the approach. The playbook's calculator measures the environmental footprint of everything from fan travel to merchandise. 'If you claim the economic impact, then you have to account for the environmental footprint of it,' Susie Tomson, senior partner at Think Beyond, told TIME. Until now, the industry has lacked a standard, sector-wide approach to measuring its climate impact. The playbook's methodology aligns with the most widely used method for measuring emissions, known as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, as well as the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change's Sports for Climate Action Framework, and the Science Based Targets initiative—but it has translated the frameworks into user-friendly, sports-specific terms. 'We wanted to make sure that we're aligned to Greenhouse Gas Protocol, but we're talking sport language,' says Tomson. Once teams plug in their data, a dashboard shows emissions by category, and will help them track changes year over year. Teams can also break their year down into different footprints, to compare the climate impact of various events throughout the season. The playbook is part of a wider industry effort to go green. Many sports organizations have pledged to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2040 under the U.N. Sports for Climate Action Framework. The 2024 Super Bowl and the Paris Olympics were both powered entirely by renewable energy. But challenges remain. A 2020 estimate found that the global sports industry is responsible for approximately 350 million tonnes of CO2. One study by Scientists for Global Responsibility found that the carbon emissions from the FIFA World Cup alone is equivalent to that of between 31,500 and 51,500 cars driving for one year. At the same time, the industry is also grappling with how to keep games going in the face of climate change. A 2022 study found that half of the former Winter Olympic host cities could be unable to sponsor winter games by 2050 due to melting snow and ice. And in many parts of the world, the impacts of climate change are already impacting events—the U.S. Tennis Association introduced an extreme heat policy after the 2018 U.S. Open where players faced off in 100 degree temperatures at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. Meanwhile NFL players are swapping out their traditional uniforms for ones in heat reflecting colors. Think Beyond plans to publish an annual State of Sport Carbon Report, which will show where organizations are successfully reducing emissions, and where growth remains. Tomson hopes that the calculator can be used across the industry—from the Olympics to amateur teams. 'The more people who use it, the better traction we're going to get,' she says. 'The more groundswell [of people], all talking the same language, measuring the same thing.'
BBC News
23-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Everyone needs to play their part' - Albion look to sustainable future
Brighton & Hove Albion have already made progress towards their sustainability ambitions but now want to continue to "drive positive change".The impact of climate change is being felt in many different ways and football is not immune to research, external has suggested one in four professional football pitches will be at risk from flooding in 25 so much of the focus is what is happening on the pitch, there is an increasing expectation from supporters that clubs should be doing more to reduce their impact off the second part of our Earth Day chat with Tom Harris, the club's sustainability manager highlighted how important fans and the impacts of climate change have been in shaping their MyAlbion, MyPlanet sustainability strategy."One of the most important drivers is what fans expect of us," Harris said. "In our end of season survey last year, around 72% of fans think that it is important that the club is committed to environmental sustainability."Climate change is with us now and the world is already experiencing the effects. We are seeing the impacts of climate change, not just in other countries, but in this country as well."Those impacts are affecting sport and forcing clubs and associations to make changes to the game that we love, whether that is installing additional pitch drainage, rescheduling fixtures that have been postponed due to extreme weather or introducing water breaks for players during periods of high temperatures."Ultimately, if we are to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, everyone needs to play their part."By publishing their sustainability strategy last year and signing up to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC) Sports for Climate Action Framework, which commits the club to halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving net-zero by 2040, they have been able to set out a clear direction of of positive work is already taking place and with plans to take these initiatives further, Harris knows they cannot stop now."The strategy is not an end point, but a marker of our ambition and commitment. The whole club recognises there is more to do," he added."With the work that has been done already, the club are in a strong position to drive positive change and progress their sustainability objectives."
