Amid growing concerns over the environmental impact of large-scale sporting events, a recent study has revealed that football and rugby collectively generated an alarming 2.2 million tons of CO₂ in 2022 alone. Aware of this issue, the research group Shift Project has developed a series of innovative proposals with an ambitious yet crucial goal: to reduce the carbon footprint of these two sports by 68% by 2050, paving the way for a more sustainable future in sports.
The study highlights that the majority of emissions in professional sports come from travel, accounting for 80% of the total. Within this category, spectator travel contributes 68%, followed by team travel at 7% and employee travel at 5%. To address this challenge, proposed solutions include improving public transport options to stadiums, installing electric vehicle charging stations in parking areas, and promoting greener transportation alternatives for fans and teams.
SATRATEGIES FOR EMISSION REDUCTION
The Shift Project has outlined various strategies to mitigate the environmental impact of football and rugby. In the transportation sector, the initiative seeks to encourage public transit and carpooling among fans while optimizing professional teams’ travel arrangements, even exploring the use of overnight trains to reduce emissions. Additionally, the project proposes renovating sports venues to enhance energy efficiency, expanding vegetarian food options in stadiums to lessen the impact of meat consumption, and implementing further measures to reduce overall consumption and emissions.
However, despite the potential of these initiatives to achieve a significant carbon footprint reduction, the study warns that the current trend of expanding international competitions could undermine these efforts. The FIFA World Cup’s expansion to 48 teams and the inclusion of South African clubs in the European Champions Cup are clear examples of this trend, emphasizing the need for a globally coordinated commitment to ensure the long-term sustainability of sports.
