Millions of people across the country enjoy sport, recreation, and physical activity. They provide huge social and economic benefits through better health and wellbeing, connecting communities, and supporting economic growth.
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.
However, climate change and wider environmental degradation as the result of pollution, biodiversity loss or resource consumption are clearly a threat to our way and sector.
Therefore, we must change how we operate to reduce our environmental impact. We must also protect the environment where sport, recreation, or physical activity occurs so that future generations and millions of people can continue to enjoy it.
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.
In this context the signatories have come together to form a UK-wide cross-sector approach consisting of the following elements.
Creation of the Sport Environment and Climate Coalition (SECC) to lead and coordinate the sector’s efforts on climate change and environmental sustainability. The group will 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.
A review of the sector’s current awareness, understanding, and actions on climate change and environmental sustainability. This will help identify the support required to help it adapt and become more sustainable over the long-term.
A roadmap is developed that will outline how the sector will transition towards net zero. It also provides guidance, support and advice to organizations to improve their environmental sustainability.
A collective commitment to place tackling inequalities at the heart of the sector’s efforts to transition to net zero and become more environmentally sustainable.
To create a sector-wide campaign to highlight climate change and environmental sustainability, and to leverage the power of sport, recreation, and physical activity to drive positive actions.
To achieve our collective ambitions on climate change mitigation and environmental sustainability, we need a collaborative approach. As a group, we are committed to working with our partners, members and the government at both the national and local levels to bring about meaningful change.
The following are members of the Sport Environment and Climate Coalition.
- The Association for Public Service Excellence, (APSE)
- British Association for Sustainable Sport – BASIS
- Sport and Recreation Alliance
Visit: for more information about sustainability, climate change and sport www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/pages/sport-climate-change