Why We Might Lose (Some) Sports
And what to do about it
When talking about the detrimental impacts of climate change, we typically think of increased temperatures, lack of access to food and water, broad changes to the energy sector, and so on. We don’t think of how a rapidly changing environment impacts sports. But the costs to the industry from disruption are enormous, as are those to the health of athletes.
Implications of Disruption
2020 has seen major sporting events postponed due to the pandemic — Wimbledon, the Euros, the Tokyo Olympics, and many more. But cancellations and disruptions are increasingly common due to extreme weather. The 2019 Rugby World Cup saw several cancellations because of Typhoon Hagibis, long-distance running events were cancelled due to air quality concerns, and up to 27% of England’s home cricket games have been affected by rain since 2000.
While such points may seem trivial, or little more than a temporary lack of entertainment, to non-sports fans, the costs are significant. According to 2018 data, the global market for sports was $488.5 billion annually, and expected to grow to over $600 billion by 2022. The impacts of coronavirus, entirely halting in-person attendance in many countries and severely restricting numbers in others, may well be compounded by climate change in the coming years if…
