The Sustainability Report: Five reasons to commit to the Sports for Climate Action Framework

As the number of sports entities signing up to the UNFCCC framework increases by the week, those unaware or undecided have two options: watch from the sidelines or come out fighting, says Claire Poole

Sport is having a moment. The latest announcements from New York Yankees, the NBA, AEG and World Taekwondo that they would be adopting the UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework brings the number of signatories up to 26 and counting.

These sports organisations have rallied behind a clarion call; to commit to measure, reduce, and report on their greenhouse gas emissions, as well as using their sport as a unifying tool to federate and create solidarity among global citizens for climate action. More signatories are joining all the time, but for those who are unaware or undecided, here are a few reasons why now is your moment, too:

1. Sport is being affected by climate change, right now
Air pollution has stopped play at cricket games in India, local football teams in the UK have been forced out of their stadiums by flooding, the landscape on which snow sports and outdoor ice hockey takes place are disappearing, extreme heat has disrupted tennis matches in the US and Australia and water sports are alarmed by the levels of plastic pollution where they work and train.

As well as environments being impaired, athletes being affected and individual events being delayed, some sports may see their event wiped out entirely by the rise of extreme weather events; as in 2012 when the New York Marathon was cancelled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.