The Top 3 Ways That Sport Impacts Our Environment

You’re probably familiar by now with the alarm bells being rung over the past decade by climate scientists, environmentalists, and other organizations regarding the climate crisis. Earth’s temperature is rising to the point where it’s putting animal and plant life in serious danger.

(If you want more in-depth information you can access the latest climate report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC))

It’s also the consensus that human activity is causing this rise in temperatures. A number of our habits contribute to the crisis but the biggest culprit, by far, is the burning of fossil fuels for energy production and the resulting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that this process creates.

(Sometimes GHG emissions are just referred to as carbon emissions, as carbon is the most prevalent compound released in the burning of fossil fuels. GHG emissions are typically measured in ‘carbon dioxide equivalent’ or CO2e)

We are currently in the midst of a global transition to a low-carbon economy, with the ultimate goal being net-zero emissions by 2050. This transition will reduce our emissions and bid farewell to fossil fuel energy, in exchange for renewable energies like solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity, and other emission-free energy sources.

So, what does this all have to do with sports? Well, like any aspect of human life, sports have an environmental footprint. There are things that the global sport sector, from youth sport to the pros, will have to change in order to achieve our net-zero emissions goals and reduce negative environmental impacts. Here we explore the three largest impacts that sport has on our environment.

1. Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The global sport sector is estimated to be responsible for about 50-60 billion tonnes of CO2e per year. For context, your average car emits about 4.6 tonnes of CO2e per year. So, we’re talking about 11-13 billion cars worth of emissions.

Majority of these emissions come from 4 distinct sources:

• Energy consumption

• Travel (athletes and spectators)

• Construction and maintenance of venues

• Sport equipment manufacturing

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year has released data saying the event created 3.6 million tonnes of CO2e emissions, although some experts are skeptical of that number. The Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016 claimed 4.5 million tonnes of CO2e emissions.

2. Waste Management

Along with emissions, the sport sector also creates a substantial amount of waste. Cardboard, plastics, glass bottles, food surplus, uniforms, paint, batteries, and construction materials all fall into the category of waste caused by sport.

A typical NFL game can produce 30 to 40 tons of solid waste — a staggering figure for a single event.

The 2012 London Olympics created 61,000 tons of waste. Remarkably, 99% of that waste was either recycled or reused and was a testament to organizers’ efforts in reducing waste in sport. If an international event with many different venues was able to essentially eliminate waste, so can any other sporting event.

3. Air, Land, and Water Pollution

While we love to watch, cheer, and boo at our favourite sporting events, the gathering of thousands of people in one place can have an unfortunate effect on pollution.

A study conducted at NC State University in the U.S. found that three hours prior to American football games, when fans started arriving at the stadium, spikes in air pollution levels were recorded, caused largely by charcoal grills, old power generators, and idling vehicles. The recorded levels were more than 20 times higher than recognized moderate air quality levels and lasted for about 12 hours after the game had ended.

Aside from air pollution, mismanaged solid and liquid waste can end up contaminating natural waterways and surrounding land environments. Initiatives like the Air Quality & Sport Challenge, introduced by ThinkSport together with Sustainable Sports Lab and Sustainable Mountain Alliance, are examples of ways that organizations can band together to combat pollution in sport.

Reducing Sport’s Negative Environmental Impact

Reducing emissions, waste, and pollution are all interconnected and can be combined to form a strong sustainability strategy. Any sustainability strategy in sport should also consider other impacts that sport has like land use change, biodiversity loss, and deforestation.

There are several fantastic sustainability initiatives happening around the world of sport and they can be used as an example for other organizations to follow. UN Sport for Climate Action has signatories like FIFA, the International Olympic Committee, the Premier League, and Formula E that commit to achieving net-zero emissions by 2040.

SC Freiburg, a German football club, wants to reduce air pollution by including free train rides for ticket holders on gameday. The Golden 1 Credit Union Center, home of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, runs entirely off of solar power.

There are many more great examples all around the sporting world, but to have a meaningful impact more organizations need to get involved. A handful of sports teams or leagues are not going to solve the sustainability problem on their own. Reducing sport’s negative environmental impact requires a full team effort.