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C
limate change is perhaps the greatest challenge
the human race has ever faced. The way the globe
responds to the amount of carbon we are currently
pushing into the atmosphere will determine whether life
on earth can be sustained in the coming centuries: some
even say sooner.
But while survival itself is questionable over the long term,
in the shorter term we are beginning to see questions
raised about our lifestyles. Climate change will affect
everything, and sport is not immune.
Global warming is only part of what we will encounter in
the coming years, despite this being the term commonly
used. An overall rise in global average temperatures is
cataclysmic, but it is not as simple as turning up the
planet ’s thermostat. Warming will be accompanied by wild
and unpredictable weather patterns that will disrupt daily
lives and food production. The knock on of these changes
to sport is obvious.
A recent report by Australia’s Institute of Climate spells
out the devastating consequences of climate change in
Australian sport. Even though Australia will probably be
worse hit than most other countries, it is hard to imagine
that other countries won’t be affected by this change.
Any sport conducted outdoors – and even some indoor
sports- will be affected.
Heat is the obvious danger in terms of sporting contests.
But wild weather conditions, such as flood-inducing rain,
will inevitably disrupt sporting competition at all levels.
Overall temperature rises will mean that snow sports
may cease to be viable in just a few decades. Sports
administrators have begun the process of examining
how they can evolve with these changes to ensure that
sport continues in its current form. A number of changes
to rules and facilities have been suggested by a variety
of experts, but the very unpredictability of the future’s
weather patterns makes a holistic and workable solution
unrealistic.
Both professional and amateur sports will be affected by
changes in the weather. Indeed, climate change is already
CLIMATE CHANGE AND SPORT:
THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET
HOTTER
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ISSUE 20 | MARCH 2015 |
29