“We can’t live in a fossil fuel world. To be honest, we need to strip the ban.” – Fiona Morgan, Chief Purpose Officer, SailGP
As COP28 comes to a close, SailGP, the global sailing championship that establishes itself as a global leader in purpose-driven and sustainable sport, held its sixth race of the season, the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix. This Grand Prix was no ordinary race, it was held as part of SailGP. race to the future COP28 handover event. The aim is to highlight the sailing championship’s commitment to tackling climate change.
Conversations surrounding COP28 have focused on its venue and chairman, the 2,500 fossil fuel lobbyists in attendance, the potential and eventual collapse of fossil fuel phase-out plans, and methane emissions reductions. With no fossil fuel reduction plan in sight, the conference is ending in disappointing results. One of the few encouraging outcomes of the global climate change conference is the increased participation and influence of the sports sector in the climate change debate.
Throughout the 13-day conference, SailGP, FIA, Formula E, Liverpool Football Club and other sporting bodies took part in presentations, roundtables, interviews and events. Sail GP Chief Purpose Officer Fiona Morgan has spoken at several of his roundtable discussions, including one he had with Rockwool and Project Everybody on 6 December. The event aims to “showcase the incredible power of sport” and how sports organizations can work together with cities, supply chains and fans to influence positive, sustainable change. It was to show.
Fiona, who has been with SailGP since its inception (for three years), is an optimist and believes the role of sport is to generate more optimism and interest, and to communicate climate science to the public. She set out to change the face of sailing and make SailGP the most environmentally friendly and technologically innovative sport in the world. She understands that the best way to encourage public engagement on climate change is through athletes. According to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology survey conducted in collaboration with Pantheon, 55% of the public trusts athletes and plans to follow their actions (only 1% trust scientists). Fiona wants to use the influence of athletes to fight climate change: “One of our greatest strengths is our athletes,” she says.
Involving athletes on controversial issues is a sensitive issue, but SailGP has found a way to bring environmental sustainability to the forefront of athletes’ minds. It is the first organization to create an Impact League that tracks actions taken by each SailGP team to reduce carbon emissions and accelerate inclusivity. What is important is that all actions are verified and adjudicated by experts. It is also worth noting that each team is linked to a cause partner (e.g. Parley, Ocean Wise, One Ocean, etc.) and the winning team’s prize money will be donated to the partner’s cause. As of this writing, Australia and its purpose partner Parley for the Oceans lead the Impact League with 203 points.
Equally important to Fiona is that athletes learn from the spotlight and create a positive impact. She says, “Athletes don’t have to change the world or have all the answers.” [about climate change]But they have a voice, and they should use it. ” During her more than three years at SailGP, she has worked hard to incorporate sustainability into the ethos of the championship. This means redefining performance and expecting athletes to excel not only in sailing but also in sustainability.
She admits that she has encountered seafarers who don’t see climate change as an issue or who think shifting focus to non-racial issues can hinder performance. . At the same time, she said the Impact League has become so competitive that some teams protest when other teams are awarded points. This is now a source of pride for all teams and relies on transparency where all teams can see each other’s audit sheets. Most importantly, athletes are starting to change their behavior, with 80% of athletes reporting that their mindset has changed since joining the league.
The optimism, education and behavioral change that SailGP is creating is exactly what is needed in the sporting field and in society at large. But cooperation and action require knowledge, tenacity and courage, which some governments and industries lacked at this year’s COP.
SailGP’s pre-COP manifesto states that COP28 is “perhaps the last opportunity to scale up action to protect the planet for future generations.” When asked what she expected from this year’s conference, Fiona said: “We need action,” but most importantly: “We can’t live on fossil fuels.” In an attempt to change mindsets and prove that true climate action is possible in sport, SailGP has organized its first event. race to the future The event will be held on December 9th and 10th.
The race weekend was advertised with yellow signs evoking hope and optimism. But more importantly, thanks to the removal of the chase boat, his CO2 emissions were reduced by 4 tonnes, making it his most sustainable race weekend ever. An additional 64 tons of potential emissions were removed by the largest ephemeral solar energy project, covering the size of six basketball courts. In addition, remote broadcasting and refereeing reduced the size of the vehicle by 36%, limiting the carbon footprint of transport and the event, while the vehicles traveled used ‘renewable petrol’.
A particular source of pride for Fiona was the all-female training camp held to increase female participation in sailing. This social sustainability initiative provided women suffering from her 15 years of inexperience in sailing a full-day training session on the world’s fastest catamaran. This is not a publicity stunt, as the sailing championship hopes to welcome female drivers in two seasons and hope to inspire 25,000 young people to take up sailing through a wide range of racing programmes.
The weekend culminated with an exciting photo finish victory for Team New Zealand. But the race to the future continues. SailGP plans to host future events to highlight its commitment to combating climate change and disseminate much-needed climate information and best practices. Meanwhile, humanity must continue to find ways to eliminate emissions and reduce our impact on the environment in order to maintain a livable planet.
At the time of writing, the final text of the first global stocktake under the Paris Agreement is being prepared to be signed on the final day of the COP28 climate change summit. All information suggests that the phrase “phasing out fossil fuels” will be replaced with a watered-down version of the pledge that delegates called “wholly insufficient” in humanity’s fight to prevent climate breakdown. Dew. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore Said “COP28 is now on the brink of complete failure.” Yet, SailGP believes that sport has an incredible ability to positively impact climate action, collaborate with other sectors and create real change. continues to show. The sailing championship’s innovative approach needs to be emulated in other sports and disciplines. In the words of Fiona Morgan, “If you think differently, impossible is just a way of thinking.”
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