The event is not on any international sports calendar, but COP26 is proving to be the place to go this week for the Olympic movement. In Glasgow, the World Climate Conference sees envoys from national and international bodies and organizations parade. Sport invites itself into the debates. He makes people talk.
At the start of the week, a round table on Sport and Climate set the tone. Among the speakers, the director of environmental excellence of the COJO Paris 2024, Georgina Grenon. After presenting the Paris 2024 policy in terms of sustainability, she explained that the organizing committee was committed to halving its emissions by 2024 and to completely offsetting them during the same period.
Less than three years before the event, Paris 2024 is at the top of the class. He even aims to overtake everyone. The IOC has made a commitment through its president, Thomas Bach, to reduce its CO50 emissions by 2% by 2030. “ We will reach this goal six years early, for the 2024 Games“, assured Georgina Grenon.
On Wednesday November 3, there was again a lot of talk about sport at COP26. But this time, the speech took a different turn. Patricia Espinosa, the UN executive secretary for climate change, called on the sports movement to take action. She urged her organizations to translate their words and commitments into action and initiatives.
''Nearly 300 sports organizations sign the Sport for Climate Action Framework (S4CA), she recalled. We now challenge them to reduce their emissions by 50% by 2030 at the latest, then achieve net zero emissions by 2040. They must also commit to submitting plans describing concrete actions that will be taken to implement the 2030 goals. » They will need to publish annual updates over the next eight years.
Everything but a coincidence, FIFA split on the same day of a press release where she explains in detail her climate strategy. The international football body also wants to be at the forefront. In Glasgow, she is represented by Isha Johansen, the leader of Sierra Leone, member of the FIFA Council. Gianni Infantino did not make the trip, but he spoke to delegates via a pre-recorded video.
FIFA is committed to respecting UN demands, a halving of emissions by 2030, then zero net emissions in 2040. It recalls having concluded an agreement with Qatar to organize a World Cup next year. carbon neutral football. The terrain will be favorable, the stadiums of the global tournament being all concentrated in Doha and its surroundings. But the task promises to be much more complex for the next edition, awarded by FIFA to the United States, Mexico and Canada, with thousands of kilometers to be covered by plane for the teams, officials, media and fans. spectators.
In terms of sustainability, professional football is struggling to translate the fine words of its international leaders into action. Last month, Manchester United were criticized on social media for flying their team to Leicester, just 85 miles away, for a Premier League match.
Another candidate for the honor roll of environmental excellence: the IOC. The Olympic body also promises to meet the expectations of the UN on climate, by 2030 and 2040. It has even set an intermediate stage, the Paris 2024 Games, where Thomas Bach announces a 30% reduction in emissions. .
In Glasgow, the word of the IOC is carried by one of its historic members, certainly one of the most credible to venture into the field of climate and sustainability: Albert of Monaco (photo above) . The Monegasque sovereign chairs the IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission. Obviously he knows his subject.
Invited to speak to COP26 delegates, Albert of Monaco insisted on the number of sports organizations (270) signatories to the sport for climate framework (S4CA). “ A solid foundation to build on“, he suggests. But the former bobsleigh pilot, long-time activist for saving the oceans, wants to go further.
« This mobilization is a good start, but only a start, he explained in Glasgow. We are in sport, we know that we cannot rest on our laurels. We must always aim higher. In the current situation, where decisive action on climate is more urgent than ever, I call on even more sports organizations to join the framework and engage in meaningful action"
Albert of Monaco reminded us: the next editions of the Olympic Games have all committed to being carbon neutral. “ From 2030, the IOC has required all Olympic Games to be climate positive“, he insisted. The bar is high.
