Sport is viewed as a uniting factor, where people of diverse political and religious affiliations, as well as tribal groupings mingle freely without any reservations.
As the world continues to grapple with the menace of climate change, corporate sponsors and organisations cannot take a backseat, while the world is at boiling point. They should take a leading role in taking the climate change war to the sporting arena.
Besides the logos for the corporates emblazoned on the sporting regalia of the teams they sponsor, environmental insignia or climate change labels can be placed on any strategic part of the sport jerseys to remind people that they care about the environment. Banners such as those used to discourage racism can also be utilised. Extreme weather conditions are manifesting themselves unabated, as such no sportsperson would enjoy competing in scorching heat, a baked environment or a flooded arena. Sportspersons excel in enterprising and conducive environments, therefore, competitors should always be advocating for the preservation of a cleaner environment.
There are a number of sportspersons, who have collapsed as a result of extreme weather conditions and many are still under threat. Sportspersons need to compete and realise their maximum potential and excellence, but they cannot achieve that under the uncertainties of floods, violent and destructive winds, hunger, famine and conflict, all which are climate change-related.
A health body needs a healthy mind and sportspersons should be physically fit for endurance purposes. While sport is a unifier as well as a favourable pastime, sport leaders should be seen leading environmental campaigns in order to shame the eco-freaks and help them reconsider their abnormal ways of dealing with nature.
Concerns for the environment should always be a priority for sporspersons and their leaders, as well as their corporate sponsors, not forgetting the multitudes of fans dotted around the country. Sport helps build tolerance and harmony in people, who will in turn extend the gesture to the environment. Environmental governance helps to nurture sustainable development in individuals and sportspersons should not be left behind.
A call for action is needed now and sportspersons are the voices of reason to communicate climate change information. Imagine some leading clubs refusing to play because the Environment, Water and Climate ministry is not doing enough to fight climate change. That would be climate literacy and wisdom for the benefit of the nation. But climate illiteracy continues to dominate in this country.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Sportspersons have the opportunity to use their fame and popularity to send messages of environmental stewardship. Their influence in getting the world to a standstill whenever a game is being played should be utilised to the maximum. “Sports for Nature”, “Sports for Climate”, “Green football” or “Eco-sport”, can go a long way in challenging historically entrenched perceptions and barriers towards the environment. Outstanding sporting personalities may also be assigned roles of green ambassadors, where they will be able to feature on television, visit schools, communities and countries affected by natural disasters or places housing the environmentally displaced just like our own Chingwizi, which has been by far a national human catastrophe.
Sports personalities need to deal with politicians cautiously, as their messages will end up distorted or twisted for political mileage. Politicians have failed the world’s environment because they are driven by boundless egoistic tendencies. It would also be difficult for politicians to remove their ideological lenses because most of them always operate in a climate of lies and in Utopian environment.
Sports personalities also need to help complement the green discourse initiatives, as the world is gradually moving towards cleaner energy. They should also refuse to deal with corporate organisations that are into fossil fuel exploration, mining and processing, as well as marketing. So many sporting events have abandoned due to electricity failures or power cuts, yet floodlights could be fitted with powerful solar panels and durable storage batteries that can last an entire sporting event.
Talking about climate change and sport without including children and the youth is suicidal, as these are future leaders, and they need to be socialised into valuing how sport can play a major role in communicating climate change. Quite a number of sporting activities address mainly climate change mitigation, while some focus on climate change adaptation, hence, it is necessary to match each sporting discipline with its appropriate management agent.
Sporting activities have the potential to broaden the meaning construction across space, hence, the media should not be left behind in an attempt to communicate this. The success of any sporting event is measured according to the amount of publicity it receives from the media. Therefore, information dissemination on climate change and sport should make the media one of their most important stakeholders. They need to work hand in glove with the media in order to come up with sustainable mitigation or adaptation strategies through sporting events.
Supporters should not be left out, as they need to watch their carbon footprints when going for sporting events. If the venue for the sporting event is nearby or within the city, as in the case with the National Sports Stadium, Rufaro or Barbourfields, then people can either cycle or walk rather than driving. Although this is upon the discretion of the individuals, it is always important to monitor the amount of carbon emissions involved.
Finally, fans of some teams need to be discouraged from engaging in activities that destroy the environment such as removing branches from trees, pruning leaves and vegetable leaves, as this destroys the ecosystem. All in all, everyone is a stakeholder in this discourse of climate change adaptation and mitigation through sporting activities. Of course, it is not too late for behavioural change, to save the environment, our environment, our future and our survival.
●Peter Makwanya is a climate change communicator. He writes in his own capacity and can be contacted on: [email protected]
