Australian Athletes Call for Action on Climate Change

February 26, 2021 

A group of leading Australian athletes are calling for greater action on climate change following the release of a Climate Council report warning that Australia's summer of sport was under threat from climate change due to increased heatwaves and drought. Within 20 years reachers fear it could be wiped out. 

The Climate Council report, "Game, Set, Match: Calling Time on Climate Inaction" says temperatures could hit 50 degrees Celsius in Sydney and Melbourne come 2040, placing the viability and safety of summer sporting events in grave jeopardy. 

"If global emissions continue to increase, Australian sports will have to make significant changes, such as playing summer games in the evening or switching schedules to spring and autumn," Dr Martin Rice, head of research and lead author of the Climate Council said. 

Vice Captain of the Australian cricket team, Pat Cummins; swimmer and Olympic Gold Medal winner, Bronte Campbell; former Wallabies captain, David Pocock; surfer Adrian Buchan; former Australian netballer, Amy Steel; and AFLW Collingwood player, Sharni Layton are among those demanding greater climate action. 

“Like all Aussies, I was devastated to see the impact of the [2019/2020] bushfires and the multiple coral bleachings on the Great Barrier Reef,” said Pat Cummins. 

“I’m used to competing in a battle between bat and ball. The battle for climate change is, of course, a lot more important than just a game of cricket,” he continued. 

“Australia punches above its weight in sport, winning gold and topping podiums, but we’re falling behind on climate action,” said former Wallabies captain, David Pocock who wrote the foreword to the Climate Council report. 

“We don’t have a credible climate policy. We could easily be a leader in clean technology, but our federal government is clinging to and subsidising fossil fuels, like coal and gas.” 

Key findings from the report include:

• athletes and spectators have fallen ill following exposure to extreme heat in recent years, including at events such as the Australian Open and Ashes series
• climate change is driving longer and more intense bushfire seasons, exposing athletes and spectators to dangerous air pollution
• Australian sport is worth $50 billion to the economy and employs over 220,000 people, but governments are ill prepared for escalating climate risks

Amy Steel played professional netball for 10 years, but her career ended in 2016 when she suffered heat stroke while playing indoors during a national pre-season tournament. 

"I was physically the fittest and strongest I had ever been. I never could have imagined this would be the last game I'd play, that it would end my netball career," she said. 

"That incident left me with lifelong health issues, including chronic inflammation and fatigue. If this could happen to me - an elite athlete - then what are the risks for community sporting clubs, as climate change makes heatwaves longer, hotter and more frequent?"

This story appeared in The Guardian.