P OLICY
GOING Sustainability is on everyone’s lips. But how can the sport and physical activity sector – which relies on facilities that are often energy and resource “hungry” – do its bit?
O
ver the past two decades,
Climate change, and the risks of
climate change and
extreme weather that it brings, are already
environmental sustainability
understood and the impact on community-
have become salient
based sport is very real. The need to
topics for debate among
raise awareness, find solutions and build
government leaders
resilience is an ever more pressing matter.
and corporations on a global scale. It is
As part of its sustainability guidance to
no longer something only discussed in
the sector, Sport England states that while
pockets – among academics, scientists
responding to climate change is not an easy
or people with a specific interest in
task, there’s “no choice” not to address it.
the environment – but by everyone. The changing climate is also changing the
“The sport and physical activity sector is a force for good and has a major contribution
way we live our lives. Extreme weather, forest
to make,” Sport England says. “We know
fires, water shortages and rising sea levels
sport and physical activity is essential to
are among the very real threats now faced
physical and mental wellbeing, and part
by millions of people around the world – all
of encouraging and enabling physical
attributed to the warming of the planet. Even
activity is about making positive choices
in areas which have so far escaped existential
– choosing to get around without using
environmental threats, the changes have
polluting vehicles, making neighbourhoods
affected everything from transport and
more easily negotiated on foot or by
energy to housing and diets – and sport.
bike and connecting neighbourhoods to where we need to get to and from.
Sustainable sport
“Sports organisations should continue
The search for alternative, more
to lead by example, take a critical look
environmentally sustainable ways of doing
at how we operate, quantify and record
things has now reached every sector –
consumption and waste, and set challenging
including sports and physical activity.
targets to reduce or eliminate it.
Therefore, as we enter a crucial period in
“Everyone understands there’s much
time, in which we must do everything to
more to be done, from the management
cut down our carbon footprints – in order
of major events, sustainable travel
to curb rising temperatures – sustainability
policies and selection and use of
should play an increasingly important
recyclable materials, to the creation and
role in the design and management of
operation of less energy and resource-
sports, recreation and leisure facilities.
hungry sports and play facilities.”
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SPORTSNATION.ORG.UK MAY/JUN 2022
