This week’s webinar series will focus on the relationship between sport and the environment in light of the climate emergency.
Brock Universitys Centre for Sport Capacity (CSC), in collaboration with University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Centre for Sport and Sustainability (CSS), is launching the multi-part webinar series with its first event Thursday, Feb. 3 at noon.
Brad Millington, Brock Sport Management Associate, and CSC member, says that the webinar series examines practices, politics, as well as preferred futures, in relation to sport. Speakers were invited to discuss the environment in sport. These topics include everyday practices, climate change adaptation and mitigation practices, and more.
Experts will have the opportunity to discuss issues related to sustainability in sport and tourism during each webinar session. Discussions will be focused on how sport can adapt to the climate crisis and what policymakers, sport organizations and other stakeholders can do to help.
Brad believes that the climate emergency is now clearly in focus. Extreme heat, flooding, wildfires and flooding have all been making headlines in recent times. Sport, against this backdrop, shows how the climate change process might disrupt some of our most basic aspects of life.
The series is open to the public and was created from conversations between Brad, his brother and Brock Kinesiology Assistant Professor Rob Millington and UBC Kinesiology Professor Brian Wilson, CSS Director and UBC Kinesiology Professor. The trio spent time discussing the current state of sport in terms of sustainability and future possibilities.
Brad says that the UBC CSS brings extraordinary expertise and connections to the series partnership, much like Brocks CSC. Given the urgent nature of the climate crisis, it is important that as many people as possible are involved in the conversation about sport and sustainability. The webinars will be more widely known if there are two excellent research centers involved.
The series is also supported and sponsored by the Mobilizing Sport & Sustainability Collective. It is a research excellence cluster that was funded through UBC Provost and Vice Presidents Office.
Each webinar is designed to include a Q&A to maximize the opportunity for deeper discussion on each topic.
Rob says that we are lucky to have a number of leading experts as speakers. They will be covering a variety of topics related to sport and the environment. Both the effects of sport on the environment (emissions from sporting events) and the impacts of climate change on sport will be taken into consideration. For example, temperatures too high to allow for competition.
This webinar series is for anyone interested in sustainability and sport. When planning the presentations, organizers also took into account Niagara’s role as host of the 2022 Canada Summer Games.
Sports events, especially mega-events, are a central part of the discussion when it comes to sustainability and sport. Brad points out that these events can attract fans all over the globe and require substantial infrastructure investments. Planning sports events is now more about sustainability. This is generally a positive thing, but as the climate crisis worsens, it requires that sports event planning be given continued attention.
The series will be launched by David Goldblatt, author, journalist, and academic. The inaugural webinar will take place on Thursday, February 3, at noon. He will discuss the implications of the climate crisis and how the global sporting industry is responding.
Goldblatt is the Author of The Ball is Round – A Global History of Football, The Age of Football: The Global Game of the 21st CenturyAnd Playing against the clock: Global Sport and the Climate Crisis. He is also a frequent visiting professor at Pitzer College in Los Angeles and Chair of Football For Future, a non-governmental organization.
I applaud Brad’s and Robs efforts to bring this important topic forward. I am happy that, through the CSC webinar series, and with the support from our student interns we are able mobilize and reach an extensive audience of academics and professionals, says Julie Stevens, CSC Director.
The webinars are completely free but you must register in advance. Register now and find out more about the series including speakers, dates, and times for future events on the CSCs Upcoming Event web page.