UEFA advocates the power of football in the race against climate change
Friday, July 29, 2022
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Representatives from UEFA, UNFCC and META take part in event hosted by Envision Racing on the power of sport to unite and inspire climate action.
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Ahead of Saturday’s E-Prix race at London’s Excel Arena, Formula E team Envision Racing brought together leading figures across the world of sport, business and government to inspire action on the climate emergency and announce a call to arms for all involved in sport to continue the fight against climate change.
Hosted at the Tate Modern gallery and held in partnership with TIME and COP26, the event featured two panel debates focusing on how to create sustainable cities and the power of sport to unite and inspire behaviour change.
Speaking at the event, UEFA director of Football & Social Responsibility Michele Uva emphasised the organisation's work around its Climate & Advocacy Policy, embedded in the organisation’s Football Sustainability Strategy 2030 with the ambition to reduce our own carbon footprint and be a credible reference partner for organisations working on climate protection.
Michele Uva, UEFA director of Football & Social Responsibility:
"The transition to a thriving, green economy is imperative and UEFA have to be part of the journey through investments in sustainability. We are determined to take our responsibilities and accelerate collective action of all European football stakeholders to prevent and reduce the degradation of the environment, while leveraging football’s reach and visibility to advocate, such as with this event with Envision Racing, for concrete actions."
Other speakers included Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu, sectors engagement lead on sports and fashion at UNFCC, Eoghan Griffin, head of sustainability at META, Nigel Topping, UN climate change high-level champion at COP26, and Eliud Kipchoge, record-breaking marathon runner and climate advocate.
This is the latest in a series of Race Against Climate Change events hosted by Envision Racing, whose aim is to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and inspire positive climate action around the world. Their sustainable chain initiative has already generated almost 100,000 pledges from fans across the world to take personal actions such as flying less, reducing meat consumption or switching to an electric vehicle to help reduce their carbon footprints.