UEFA reiterates commitment to combating climate change and plans to present long-term strategy in December
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and Frans Timmermans, European Commission Executive Vice President.
LAUSANNE, June 7, 2021 - The European football governing body, UEFA, is forging ahead with its commitment to playing its part in ensuring a green planet, following the execution of an impacful Cleaner Air, Better Game campaign which ran throughout the just-concluded 2021 European Under-21 Championship in Hungary and Slovenia.
FIRST STEP The pilot initiative, which raised awareness about the threat of air polution to human health and the future of football, represents a first step towards achieving UEFA’s long-term goal of making European football more accountable for its impact on the environment and climate.
EU GREENWEEK 2021 “This outcome is part of UEFA’s commitment to compensate for all greenhouse gas emissions generated by its football competitions. But this is just the start,” UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said during an online climate and enviroment workshop held on June 7, a day after the final of the carbon-neutral championship saw Germany beat Portugal 1-0 for their third crown.
The workshop titled European Football for Climate and the Environment was organised by UEFA for EU Greenweek 2021, to expand on its next plans as well as discuss best practices in raising awareness and creating change through the power of sport.
CLEANER AIR, BETTER GAME “The Cleaner Air, Better Game campaign launched specifically for this tournament goes even further, appealing to the entire European football community to reduce emissions and, of course, air pollution. The campaign is part of UEFA and European football's wider commitment to the European Green Deal, and the European Climate Pact,” Čeferin added in his opening speech.
UEFA pledged its support for the European Climate Pact in December and is “ready to do everything in it’s power” to help achieve the EU’s vision of an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE Frans Timmermans, European Commission Executive Vice President, who has been working with UEFA for almost 15 years on different issues, including racism and child traficking, hailed the governing body for being “forward-looking and courageous” in addressing societal issues.
“The issue of air pollution goes right to the centre of a fundamental change we will be seeing in our society. The challenges to our environment mean that we will have to learn to live in a different way. And we can do it,” Timmermans said, making reference to how UEFA and the fans joined forces to block the “people who wanted to hijack the game for profit”.
EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL Speaking of the important role young activists like Greta Thunberg are playing in the fight against climate crisis, Timmermans highlighted that the European Green Deal was inspired by the #FridaysForFuture movement. “There will be no real change, if we do not listen to our children and young people who tell us that their future should be our prime concern, and football could play such an incredible role.
FOOTBALL IS AN INSPIRATION “I believe we can inspire so many young people who can be reached by the heroes, the football players, to take us into a cleaner future. Every issue pertaining to our values is always linked to football. Football is a business, yes, but it's also an inspiration, it's also an expression of our values, of our aspirations, of our ambitions, and we shall never ever abandon that because it is helping millions and millions of Europeans to have a more positive outlook on life.”
TREE PLANTING In addition to supporting legacy projects like tree planting in the host countries of the 2021 European Under-21 Championship, as well as donating bikes to encourage sustainable travel, UEFA also encouraged everyone following the competition to reduce their personal emissions by committing to small lifestyle changes on a dedicated UEFA-Count Us In platform.
EURO 2020 Čeferin said UEFA will use the global popularity of its elite competitions to promote the Green Deal’s call for action, starting with the UEFA Champions League matches in September. UEFA will also compensate for the carbon emissions, for all the staff, teams, and travelling supporters for Euro 2020 which will start in Rome on June 11, in line with a pledge made in 2019 as a signatory to the Sports for Climate Action Initiative.
EURO 2024 Čeferin added: “Together with the German national association, the host of the Euro 2024, we have launched a social responsibility strategy with one single goal: to organize the most sustainable Euro ever.” Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning captain Philipp Lahm and his compatriot Célia Šašić, a two-time EURO winner, expressed their commitment at the online opening conference of the European Green Week 2021.
BETTER GAME In a short video message, Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), spoke about the dangers of air pollution and the impact that football can have as a driver for change. “We know that athletes who are training or competiting in air polluted stadiums, cities or at home cannot perform at their top level,” she said, explaining that through UEFA, even those who are not “climate junkies” can be made to understand the “big link between clean air and a better game”.
The panellists of UEFA's online workshop moderated by sports journalist Pedro Pinto.
PANELLISTS The panelists of the online workshop were Lučka Kajfež Bogataj, Nobel Prize winning climatologist; Mathieu Flamini, former profesional footbaler and environmentalist; Michele Uva, UEFA Director Footbal & Social Responsibility and Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu, Sport for Climate Action lead, UNFCC.
AMBITIOUS STRATEGY Picking up where Čeferin left off, Uva revealed that UEFA is building a ten-year long term strategy – until 2030 - which will be presented next December with four areas of focus: environmental protection, event sustainability, circular economy and infrastructure sustainability. He described the journey as “ambitious and transformative”. “Our aspiration is to become a platform for dialogue and action, engaging all the members of our football family,” he explained, adding that “we are also in the process of developing our sustainability policy”.
HERE TO STAY “Climate change is here to stay and it will impact every aspect of our lives, not just sports,” Bogataj emphasised, while stressing the influence football can make in addressing the issue.
EVERYONE PLAYS A PART Of course, sports cannot take on this “big problem” alone, according to Xhaferi-Salihu: “I think the idea here is for people to know that if everyone does not do their part in terms of addressing environmental impact that means that we will not be able to achieve the 1.5 degree whic will allow us to keep the planet safe for the future generation.”
WORK WITH CLUBS Former Arsenal star Flamini, who has been involved in sustainability for over a decade, expressed pride in seeing that “UEFA is taking the lead on that aspect”. He urged UEFA to work closely with clubs in tackling climate change because “clubs are not aware of the necessary measures to get better” even though they may have the desire to effect change.
A LONG WAY TO GO The panellists all admitted that there is a long way to go in minimizing the carbon footprint on the planet, but encouraged every one to play their part by living a sustainable lifestyle. “Practically we need to do all we can to phase out fossil fuels and replace them with renewable energy cources. We need to find better ways to move around and football can create demand for a more sustainable transport, we need to reduce wastes, we need to improve our diets and we need to make our buildings and businesses greener,” Xhaferi-Salihu said.
EQUITY In this regard, Bogataj advised UEFA to promote more partnerships, innovation and equity. “Equity is an important part of climate action. We all know that many poor people cannot change things, while the rich don’t want to change, so equity is something that I think should be pushed through climate action.”
FIRST STEP The pilot initiative, which raised awareness about the threat of air polution to human health and the future of football, represents a first step towards achieving UEFA’s long-term goal of making European football more accountable for its impact on the environment and climate.
EU GREENWEEK 2021 “This outcome is part of UEFA’s commitment to compensate for all greenhouse gas emissions generated by its football competitions. But this is just the start,” UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said during an online climate and enviroment workshop held on June 7, a day after the final of the carbon-neutral championship saw Germany beat Portugal 1-0 for their third crown.
The workshop titled European Football for Climate and the Environment was organised by UEFA for EU Greenweek 2021, to expand on its next plans as well as discuss best practices in raising awareness and creating change through the power of sport.
CLEANER AIR, BETTER GAME “The Cleaner Air, Better Game campaign launched specifically for this tournament goes even further, appealing to the entire European football community to reduce emissions and, of course, air pollution. The campaign is part of UEFA and European football's wider commitment to the European Green Deal, and the European Climate Pact,” Čeferin added in his opening speech.
UEFA pledged its support for the European Climate Pact in December and is “ready to do everything in it’s power” to help achieve the EU’s vision of an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE Frans Timmermans, European Commission Executive Vice President, who has been working with UEFA for almost 15 years on different issues, including racism and child traficking, hailed the governing body for being “forward-looking and courageous” in addressing societal issues.
“The issue of air pollution goes right to the centre of a fundamental change we will be seeing in our society. The challenges to our environment mean that we will have to learn to live in a different way. And we can do it,” Timmermans said, making reference to how UEFA and the fans joined forces to block the “people who wanted to hijack the game for profit”.
EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL Speaking of the important role young activists like Greta Thunberg are playing in the fight against climate crisis, Timmermans highlighted that the European Green Deal was inspired by the #FridaysForFuture movement. “There will be no real change, if we do not listen to our children and young people who tell us that their future should be our prime concern, and football could play such an incredible role.
FOOTBALL IS AN INSPIRATION “I believe we can inspire so many young people who can be reached by the heroes, the football players, to take us into a cleaner future. Every issue pertaining to our values is always linked to football. Football is a business, yes, but it's also an inspiration, it's also an expression of our values, of our aspirations, of our ambitions, and we shall never ever abandon that because it is helping millions and millions of Europeans to have a more positive outlook on life.”
TREE PLANTING In addition to supporting legacy projects like tree planting in the host countries of the 2021 European Under-21 Championship, as well as donating bikes to encourage sustainable travel, UEFA also encouraged everyone following the competition to reduce their personal emissions by committing to small lifestyle changes on a dedicated UEFA-Count Us In platform.
EURO 2020 Čeferin said UEFA will use the global popularity of its elite competitions to promote the Green Deal’s call for action, starting with the UEFA Champions League matches in September. UEFA will also compensate for the carbon emissions, for all the staff, teams, and travelling supporters for Euro 2020 which will start in Rome on June 11, in line with a pledge made in 2019 as a signatory to the Sports for Climate Action Initiative.
EURO 2024 Čeferin added: “Together with the German national association, the host of the Euro 2024, we have launched a social responsibility strategy with one single goal: to organize the most sustainable Euro ever.” Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning captain Philipp Lahm and his compatriot Célia Šašić, a two-time EURO winner, expressed their commitment at the online opening conference of the European Green Week 2021.
BETTER GAME In a short video message, Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), spoke about the dangers of air pollution and the impact that football can have as a driver for change. “We know that athletes who are training or competiting in air polluted stadiums, cities or at home cannot perform at their top level,” she said, explaining that through UEFA, even those who are not “climate junkies” can be made to understand the “big link between clean air and a better game”.
PANELLISTS The panelists of the online workshop were Lučka Kajfež Bogataj, Nobel Prize winning climatologist; Mathieu Flamini, former profesional footbaler and environmentalist; Michele Uva, UEFA Director Footbal & Social Responsibility and Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu, Sport for Climate Action lead, UNFCC.
AMBITIOUS STRATEGY Picking up where Čeferin left off, Uva revealed that UEFA is building a ten-year long term strategy – until 2030 - which will be presented next December with four areas of focus: environmental protection, event sustainability, circular economy and infrastructure sustainability. He described the journey as “ambitious and transformative”. “Our aspiration is to become a platform for dialogue and action, engaging all the members of our football family,” he explained, adding that “we are also in the process of developing our sustainability policy”.
HERE TO STAY “Climate change is here to stay and it will impact every aspect of our lives, not just sports,” Bogataj emphasised, while stressing the influence football can make in addressing the issue.
EVERYONE PLAYS A PART Of course, sports cannot take on this “big problem” alone, according to Xhaferi-Salihu: “I think the idea here is for people to know that if everyone does not do their part in terms of addressing environmental impact that means that we will not be able to achieve the 1.5 degree whic will allow us to keep the planet safe for the future generation.”
WORK WITH CLUBS Former Arsenal star Flamini, who has been involved in sustainability for over a decade, expressed pride in seeing that “UEFA is taking the lead on that aspect”. He urged UEFA to work closely with clubs in tackling climate change because “clubs are not aware of the necessary measures to get better” even though they may have the desire to effect change.
A LONG WAY TO GO The panellists all admitted that there is a long way to go in minimizing the carbon footprint on the planet, but encouraged every one to play their part by living a sustainable lifestyle. “Practically we need to do all we can to phase out fossil fuels and replace them with renewable energy cources. We need to find better ways to move around and football can create demand for a more sustainable transport, we need to reduce wastes, we need to improve our diets and we need to make our buildings and businesses greener,” Xhaferi-Salihu said.
EQUITY In this regard, Bogataj advised UEFA to promote more partnerships, innovation and equity. “Equity is an important part of climate action. We all know that many poor people cannot change things, while the rich don’t want to change, so equity is something that I think should be pushed through climate action.”
News from the same category
