Latest news with #ThinkBeyond
Time Magazine
3 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.'
The Sun
28-04-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
‘There are conversations' – London ready to make NFL history and hold first Super Bowl outside of the US
LONDON is ready to host the first Super Bowl outside of the United States should the NFL plan to go global. Since 2007, regular season American Football matches have been staged annually in London – at Wembley, Twickenham and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – in front of sell-out crowds. 3 3 3 And officials at the Mayor of London's Office are hoping to one day stage the biggest event on the US sporting calendar in Europe. The Super Bowl host city is already decided for the next three years. San Francisco will host in February 2026, Atlanta the year after and then Georgia in 2028. But there is a gap from 2029 onwards and the five-hour time difference to the East Coast of the US should not be an insurmountable challenge. Howard Dawber, London's Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth, told SunSport: 'If they were ever going to host it outside the US, we're already the obvious place to do it. 'What I would say is the Mayor [ Sadiq Khan ] has made it clear that it's a long-term ambition. It's something we would like to do. And you know, there's conversations. 'With the NFL looking to promote itself globally, having a Super Bowl outside of the US, in a location that's more accessible to a lot of its core fanbase in western Europe, that makes a lot of sense for them as well.' A report published today by Think Beyond claims NFL matches in London have generated an estimated spectator spend of more than £600million over 18 years. There was also a cumulative USA viewership of more than 20million for the NFL London Games and Major League Baseball London Series in 2024. And about 6,000 young Londoners have been supported by the NFL Foundation UK with bespoke programmes that help them to develop their skills and confidence. Pittsburgh Steelers given final decision by Aaron Rodgers as Mike Tomlin makes his post-NFL Draft quarterback choice Dawber, 54, added: 'America is a very big country. Most fans going to the Super Bowl will have to get on a plane for hours to get to it. 'Most of the people watching will be on TV. It's a massive TV audience. 'If you're an LA fan and the Super Bowl is in Boston, it's further to get there than if you were flying from Boston to London. 'So, you're already dealing with people who are used to getting on a plane to see their team in that competition. 'The games here sell-out pretty much instantly. There's a huge market, not just London, but the UK, for American Football. 'We get the NFL games, we get Americans flying over. We have a home market and people flying in from all over Europe. 'London is a really easy place to get to and there's more than just the games to do when you're here. So we get people go to the game and then a long weekend, too. 'Look also at the global audience we got for the 2012 Olympics. Look at the global audience we get for Wimbledon and the FA Cup final." Henry Hodgson, general manager of the NFL UK & Ireland, said: 'The NFL has a proud history in the UK, having played regular season games in London – a world-class sport and entertainment destination – since 2007. 'The UK remains a pioneer for the NFL's global growth ambitions and this season will see us play our 40th game in the capital city.'
