And our natural and built environment provides the places and spaces for people to be active in any way they choose – from pitches, parks, courts and swimming pools to mountains, rivers, coasts and lakes.
But climate change and wider environmental degradation as a result of pollution, biodiversity loss and resource consumption present a clear threat both to our way of life and to our sector.
We therefore need to change the way we operate now to reduce our environmental impact and contribute to wider efforts to reach net zero. And we must take steps to protect the environment within which sport, recreation and physical activity takes place so that our many millions of participants and future generations can continue to enjoy it in the coming decades.
And ultimately the urgency of the task we now face requires leadership – all of us have a role to play in maximising the enormous power and reach of sport, recreation and physical activity to inspire positive environmental and climate action.
The Sport Environment and Climate Coalition will work to:
- Harness the sector’s collective resources to help reduce the environmental impact of sport, recreation and physical activity and contribute to the UK’s transition to net zero.
- Develop an ambitious roadmap setting out how the sector will transition to net zero alongside the provision of advice, guidance and support to organisations in the sector to improve their environmental sustainability.
- Create a sector-wide campaign to highlight the importance of climate change and environmental sustainability and leverage the power and reach of sport, recreation and physical activity to drive positive action.
The British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS) hosts a resource hub for the Sport Environment and Climate Coalition, which can be viewed here.
The Coalition is made up of the following organisations:
Active Partnerships
The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE)