Mapping the Sport and Climate Space: What you need to know to join the debate about sport and the climate crisis

About this book

Over the last two decades, the relationship of sport to the global climate crisis has become increasingly clear and increasingly urgent.The risks and dangers posed by global heating and extreme weather to athletes, fans, and facilities have become tangible, as hurricanes sweep aside cricket stadiums, heatwaves hospitalized spectators, and record floods consume football fields and golf courses alike.Sport has begun to respond. Since the creation of the UN Sport for Climate Action framework in 2018, a growing network of national and international sporting federations, professional leagues and clubs, athletes, fans, as well as NGOs and businesses have been developing climate policies and advocating and campaigning on the issue.This has been paralleled by a growing body of academic research on the subject as well as much more serious journalistic reporting.Now, Play the Game seeks to map this new space in global sports politics by:• organizing the main bodies of research data on climate threats to sport and sports carbon emissions • surveying the new climate policies and systems of governance in global sport • mapping the key campaigning organizations as well as media and information sources on the topic • providing a guide to best practices in the field from carbon-zero stadium construction to active transport policies • introducing readers to the main areas of debate and contention • supporting it all by extensive reference to the best academic and journalistic work, with suggestions for essential reading. It is designed first and foremost as a guide for those new to the debate, but the hope is that even the most seasoned sport and climate activist will find something useful here. It begins by putting the sport and climate debate in a longer historical context; breaking down the sport and climate debate into its key components; and directing you to the best sources of news, information, and media on the topic.