7 February 2018: Sports are beginning to tackle climate change by cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and inspiring others by taking the lead, according to a report published by the Climate Coalition. The report also highlights the impacts of climate change on sport in the UK.

The report titled, ‘Game Changer: How climate change is affecting sports in the UK,’ highlights that sports clubs and governing bodies must reduce carbon emissions and other environmental impacts. The report was presented at English Premier League Manchester United on 8 February 2018, and at current English Premier League leaders Manchester City on 11 February, at their match with Leicester City.

In the report’s foreword, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa highlights that sport is a US$600 billion global business with the unique power “to convene, move and inspire.” The report explains that climate change and the risks of extreme weather are already affecting and threatening some of the UK’s best-loved sports, such as golf, football, skiing and cricket, how these sports are responding. It also outlines messages for sports globally.

Representatives from major sports organizations met with members of the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany, in December 2017, and agreed that climate change is a global challenge that impacts sports, and which sports can help address. This dialogue also aimed to contribute to the launch of a new ‘Platform for Sports and Climate Action’ prior to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 24) in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018. [UNFCCC Press Release] [Publication: Game Changer: How climate change is affecting sports in the UK]