Green Sports Alliance Joins in Supporting the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Green Sports Alliance Joins in Supporting the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework
Media Contacts: Kelley A. Martin, Green Sports Alliance | kelley@greensportsalliance.org
April 30, 2019: Portland, OR – Today the Green Sports Alliance (Alliance) launched “Playing for the Next Generation”, part of a campaign designed to encourage its members and partners to commit to the United Nation’s (UN) Sports for Climate Action Framework.
In December of 2018, representatives from the global sports sector and the UN Climate Change Secretariat launched the Sports for Climate Action Framework (Framework) at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) in Katowice, Poland.
The Framework has two overarching objectives:
- Promoting a set of principles for the global sports community to adopt in order to combat climate change, and;
- The use of sports as a unifying tool to drive climate awareness and the action among global citizens.
Founding sports organization signatories of the Sports for Climate Action Framework include: International Olympic Committee (IOC), Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, French Tennis Federation (Roland Garros), International Sailing Federation, World Surf League, Forest Green Rovers Football Club, Formula E, and several other international sports organizations.
The New York Yankees became the first North American sports organization to sign a pledge to support the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework. Building on the Yankees’ announcement, the Alliance is encouraging all of its members to commit to the Framework.
“The Alliance recognizes the vital need for the sports industry to address climate change and play a significant role in combatting it,” said Roger McClendon, Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance. “We encourage our members and partners to support the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework.”
“For more than 15 years, Alliance members have been applying the type of climate action now embedded in the Sports for Climate Action Framework. By supporting this Framework, sports teams are committing to work collaboratively with peers, sponsors, fans, and other relevant stakeholders to implement the UN’s climate action agenda in sports. On June 19-20, the Alliance will recognize our members’ progress and share innovative climate mitigation strategies at the 2019 Green Sports Alliance Summit in Philadelphia,” stated McClendon.
UN Sports for Climate Action Framework Principles
To implement the UN Sports for Action Pledge, the Alliance has committed to endorse and support a list of UN Climate Action Principles that include the following:
- Principle 1: Undertake systematic efforts to promote greater environmental responsibility;
- Principle 2: Reduce overall climate impact;
- Principle 3: Educate for climate action;
- Principle 4: Promote sustainable and responsible consumption;
- Principle 5: Advocate for climate action through communication.
Members are encouraged to follow the guidance and recommendations of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change by measuring, reducing, and offsetting all greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts.
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About Green Sports Alliance
The Green Sports Alliance leverages the cultural and market influence of sports to promote healthy, sustainable communities where people live and play. The Alliance inspires professional sports leagues, sports governing bodies, colleges, teams, venues, their partners and millions of fans to embrace renewable energy, healthy food, recycling, water efficiency, safer chemicals and other environmentally preferable practices. Alliance members now number nearly 600 organizations and fans representing 15 leagues in 14 countries. Visit greensportsalliance.org for more information.
Join us on May 8 at 8 am pacific for a webinar as we dive deeper into this subject and what it means for our members and the sports industry overall (register here).
About the Green Sports Alliance Summit
The annual Green Sports Alliance Summit is the largest and most influential gathering for the sports community to unite around sustainability. The event brings together hundreds of industry stakeholders to learn and share better practices and the latest innovations in greening operations, advancing the supply chain and engaging fans.
The theme for this year’s Summit is Playing for the Next Generation. Make your plans to join us in Philadelphia this June 19-20 as we remember why we play, and how we’re working together to harness the immense cultural influence of sports to make positive change for greener fields and stadiums, and healthier cities and communities, locally and globally. Learn more and register at: greensportsalliance.org/summit/
About the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
According to Antonio Gutterres, UN Secretary-General:
“If we do not change course by 2020, we risk missing the point where we can avoid runaway climate change… Climate change is the defining issue of our time, and we are at a defining moment...” (September 2018)
The goal of the Sports for Climate Action Framework is to mobilize sports organizations, teams, athletes, and fans in a concerted effort to raise climate awareness and promote climate action.
Representatives of the diverse global sports industry, working with UN Climate Change Secretariat, created the Framework to help drive down greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to sports operations and tap the popularity and passion of sport to engage major businesses, as well as millions of fans in the effort.
The UN “Climate Change Secretariat” administers the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty that entered into force on 21 March 1994, after a sufficient number of countries had ratified it. The “Sports for Climate Action Framework” was launched December 2018 under the auspices of the UNFCCC.