As the impacts of climate change intensify, the relationship between professional sports and environmental challenges has reached a critical juncture. This article examines how rising temperatures and extreme weather threaten the integrity of sporting events and venues, while also highlighting the potential for the sports industry to lead in sustainability initiatives and innovative practices for a more resilient future.

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The relationship between professional sports and climate change is reaching a pivotal tipping point. 

As global temperatures continue to rise and extreme weather events become more fervent and frequent, and with 2024 set to be the hottest year in history, the sporting world faces an array of challenges that threaten not only individual events but affect the very future of the industry.

Particularly with outdoor sports, the threat of disrupted seasons and endangered venues, not to mention the astronomical climate change-related financial pressures many grassroots institutions are facing, all prove increasingly hard to ignore.

Amidst the chaos, the sports industry is emerging as a potential thought leader in innovative environmental and sustainability initiatives that could pave the way for a more prosperous and conscious future.

The Threat of Climate Change

Professional sports are never immune from climate disruption, so much so that seasonal sporting calendars and events are now no longer the reliable fixtures they once were. Major events worldwide now face higher risk of cancellations, delays and adjustments brought about by extreme, unpredictable weather. 

Golf courses, often criticised for their intensive water usage, substantial energy consumption and chemical treatments of greens, exemplify how the sports industry – like any other industry – must fundamentally reimagine their approaches to remain viable and profitable in an evolving climate. 

Formula One, drag racing, NASCAR and other motorsports are often lauded for their prolific fuel usage and carbon emissions. Arena sports like football, basketball and baseball also require significant energy to run, with athletes globe-trotting back and forth to cities nationally and internationally, burning large amounts of fossil fuels and releasing swathes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere along the way. 

Recent statistics paint a rather bleak picture: According to Game Changer II, a new report from the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS), an estimated 62,500 amateur football matches were cancelled or delayed due to weather impacts, and the rate of abandonment of England men’s home One Day Internationals has increased from 5% to 7%. 

A subsequent YouGov poll revealed how 64% of golf spectators and players have experienced weather-induced disruption, from rescheduled or cancelled events to reduced runtime in the past year.

The financial implications are equally concerning. Sports facilities and infrastructure also face soaring costs from climate-related damage, while industries that depend on reliable, stable weather are struggling to adapt. 

Athletes Under Pressure

Climate change is not just affecting sporting events and schedules; it is also fundamentally affecting athletes’ training and competition. 

Rising temperatures pose a risk to athletes’ health and performance. 

Ahead of the Paris Olympics this summer – the hottest summer on record – the British Journal of Sports Medicine released a comprehensive, science-based report on heat risks. The report detailed the potential health challenges athletes might face and the ways extreme heat could affect their performance during the peak summer months. Temperatures soared above 40C on some days, significantly raising the risk of heat stroke among competitors.

Heat stress and air quality concerns have also become major factors in event planning. The State of Global Air 2024 report outlined that air pollution accounted for 8.1 million deaths worldwide in 2021, making air pollution the second biggest death risk globally. For venues with air quality measurements in place, external natural temperatures and quality must always be considered.

More on the topic: Climate Change Crashed the Paris Olympics. Is This It For the Games?

Venue Infrastructure at Risk

Venues are also under threat from weather-related climate risks. Coastal venues face the direct problem of rising sea levels, while inland facilities face concentrated extreme conditions brought about by urban infrastructure. 

Climate X reported that climate change could potentially lead to $11 billion in weather damage at NFL stadiums by 2050. This includes flooding, storm surges and wildfires, depending on each stadium’s proximity and risk level. This vulnerability poses both physical and operational challenges, where maintaining suitable and safe playing surfaces and ensuring spectator health and safety becomes a higher priority.

Furthermore, winter sports venues face challenges of their own. Declining natural snowfall and shorter overall winter seasons are forcing an increased reliance on artificial snow production, a significant contributor to emissions. 

Innovation and Adaptation: Sports Leading Change

Despite these inherent challenges, it is comforting to learn that many institutions within the professional sports industry have taken notice. 

A signatory of the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, Sport England’s Every Move strategy is a comprehensive sustainability initiative that promises more opportunities for participation while encouraging the sector to become more environmentally responsible. Other signatories to the initiative include the Premier League and several associated UK-based football clubs, broadcasters like Sky Sports and BBC Sports, Formula 1, and the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Many of these leagues and organisations are implementing sustainability efforts and strategies, such as renewable energy usage, zero waste policies, carbon neutrality and more. Many are spearheading transformative approaches such as sustainable stadium designs, net zero transportation programmes, waste reduction and recycling programmes for major events, and community engagement initiatives.

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The Future of Professional Sports

Climate change is profoundly affecting sport as we know it today, and the industry’s long-term survival depends on its ability to adapt and innovate in the face of these challenges.

Improving facility resilience and infrastructure, facilitating athletes’ health and well-being maintenance, and modifying competition schedules will be good short-term solutions. In the long run, however, greater investment in sustainable buildings and the integration of environmental considerations into sporting formats and governance will prove key.

With reportedly only six years left before global warming exceeds 1.5C, there is no better time than now to begin fostering greater environmental consciousness and stewardship in sport and beyond.

Featured image: AdamKR.