July 11, 2021

Will football tackle the climate crisis?

27 minutes

You don’t often hear climate change and football mentioned in the same sentence, but rising temperatures are set to disrupt every area of our lives, the ‘beautiful game’ included. Heat and other extreme weather have already been affecting training and matches, which experts say we can expect a lot more of in coming years.

But not only is the sport at risk from the climate crisis, it’s also a significant contributor to it. The operation of multi-thousand capacity stadiums, spectator travel and merchandise, not to mention the fossil fuel sponsorship that props up professional tournaments, mean that football is currently part of the climate problem.

Yet football also has an audience of billions – all potentially affected by climate change – who could be part of the solution. Featuring footballers and fans, we ask if football can tackle its carbon problem and be a force for good in the fight against climate change.

Guests

Morten Thorsby, Norwegian midfielder

Sofie Junge Pedersen, Danish midfielder

David Goldblatt, football historian and writer

Manuel Gaber, founder of Unser Fussball campaign

Federico Addiechi, Head of Sustainability and Environment at FIFA

Reporter

Uli Knapp

Presenters: Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson

Producer: Zoe Gelber

Series producer: Rosamund Jones

Editor: Emma Rippon