WATCH: Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg at COP26 in Glasgow
The racing driver is now a sustainability entrepreneur
Formula 1 world champion and sustainability entrepreneur Nico Rosberg is at COP26 in Glasgow.
He’s urging more influential global sports teams to join the United Nations pledge, Sports for Climate Action Framework.
New targets have been announced for it including reaching net zero by 2040 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 at the latest.
Nico told West FM, “It’s important to me because climate change is one of the greatest threats we are facing. We’re getting it very wrong as a society at the moment, causing a lot of irreversible damage and we need to make sure it doesn’t go any further than this. It’s really heading towards a disastrous situation.
“Nobody is doing enough on this planet, but Formula 1 is definitely trying hard. That is nice to see and I’m definitely proud of that. They have confirmed they will be running on synthetic fuels by 2030, factories are being decarbonised and becoming carbon neutral. They have also banned single use plastics in the paddock. They’re taking a lot of steps.
“I have a race team called Roseberg X Racing and we have taken the pledge for the Sports for Climate Action Framework. We are really driven by purpose. Wherever we race, we want to support charitable organisations locally, raise funds for them and get involved ourselves.”
Patricia Espinosa, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary said, “Four years since we launched the Sports for Climate Action Framework, more than 280 sports organisations have committed to the overarching objectives of aligning sport with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
“The sector eagerly took up the challenge, but also told us that they want to do more and to do it faster. These organisations are now being challenged to reduce emissions 50 per cent by 2030 at the latest and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.”
Signatories including the International Olympic Committee, FIFA, Athletics Kenya, BBC Sport, the Premier League, Formula E and Munster Rugby, have signed up to these new targets. In addition, signatories commit to submitting plans to outline concrete actions that will be taken to implement 2030 targets as well as report on overall progress with commitments on annual bases.
It was also announced today that Sports for Climate Action signatories who adopt these targets will officially enter Race to Zero, a coalition of leading net zero initiatives, representing 733 cities, 31 regions, 3,067 businesses, 173 of the biggest investors, and 622 Higher Education Institutions.
The Sports for Climate Action Framework has two overarching objectives: achieving a clear trajectory for the global sports community to combat climate change and using sports as a unifying tool to drive climate awareness and action among global citizens.