Assahafa.com
Can sports become a lever for climate action? On the sidelines of COP30, the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) delved into its potential during a side event titled “Full Speed for Climate: Mobilizing Sports for Climate Action.”
Ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and as Morocco also prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal, the session highlighted the ability of sports to advance climate goals in Africa, the Mediterranean and Latin America.
Local tournaments that cut waste, regional leagues promoting clean energy and youth initiatives were presented as avenues to expand climate impact through public policy, financing and cross-sector partnerships.
Speaking on behalf of the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, Ayman Cherkaoui, director of the Hassan II International Environmental Training Center, recalled the Foundation’s commitment to supporting the Kingdom’s transformational projects, in line with the vision of HM King Mohammed VI and under the effective presidency of HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa.
The Foundation, he said, worked with the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) on the environmental components of the Bid Book submitted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal to FIFA.
Cherkaoui also highlighted the many interfaces between sports and the environment: the impact of infrastructure and competitions, the need to protect ecosystems to ensure the sustainability of sports practice, and the role of sports as a powerful awareness-raising tool thanks to its values and its broad and diverse audience.
Youssef Chaqor, vice president of the CGEM Africa Commission, noted that the Confederation, which brings together some 90,000 Moroccan companies, sees sports as a new strategic arena to accelerate climate transition. Both vulnerable to disruption and a vehicle of influence, sports, he said, can become a key lever to shift behaviors and support climate policies.
Morocco’s private sector, he said, is already engaged in designing low-impact infrastructure, sustainable mobility, circular waste management, increased use of renewable energy and digital solutions to make stadiums smarter and more efficient.
He also highlighted available financing mechanisms, including green Public-Private Partnerships and Article 6, while emphasizing the role of sports as a tool for climate education and mobilization, especially for youth.
Rachid Tahiri, representing the ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, warned of the growing vulnerability of the sports sector to climate disruption: extreme heat, rising seas threatening coastal sites and competition schedules thrown off. Sports, he noted, also generates its own carbon footprint through travel, energy use and logistics chains.
Morocco, he said, now places sustainability at the core of its sports development, backed by modern infrastructure, a renewable energy mix and recognized expertise. Driven by HM King Mohammed VI, this ambition aligns with the country’s NDC 3.0 trajectory and its 2050 low-carbon strategy, combining decarbonization, competitiveness and territorial resilience.
He said the 2025 AFCON and the 2030 World Cup offer an opportunity to showcase an African model of sustainable sports built around stadiums powered by clean energy, green mobility between host cities, circular waste management and youth engagement.
Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu, manager of key initiatives at the UNFCCC, presented updates on the “Sports for Climate Action” program, noting that sports organizations are required to measure, reduce and report their emissions to help keep warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, in line with the Paris Agreement.
She also stressed the integration of adaptation measures, calling on sports actors to strengthen the climate resilience of their infrastructure and events.
Xhaferi-Salihu underscored the framework’s five guiding principles, namely environmental responsibility, carbon-footprint reduction, climate education, sustainable consumption and responsible communication, as well as the pathway to halve emissions by 2030 and reach climate neutrality by 2040.
Niklas Hagelberg, global climate coordinator at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), noted that federations and clubs have considerable leverage to transform consumption, energy and mobility models linked to sports.
He referred to the “Sports for Nature” initiative, co-sponsored by several organizations, which aims to reduce the ecological footprint of sports, protect biodiversity and integrate sustainability principles into event management.
In the same vein, Cathy Yitong Li, vice president of the Climate Action Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, also presented the “Sports for Nature” framework and gave a broader overview of international initiatives and efforts tied to the Action Agenda, particularly under the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action.
Marcos Montoiro, head of NGO and civil society liaison at the Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, highlighted the essential link between sports, sustainable land management and desertification prevention, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, notably in Africa.
Edoardo Croci, an Italian environmental expert, recalled that Italy will host the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Sustainability, he said, will be central to both infrastructure and event management. He noted that Bocconi University is supporting the Italian Olympic Committee in assessing these issues, including climate impact.
Andrew Bowen, CEO of One Carbon World, presented low-carbon financing opportunities available to the sports sector, including certified offset mechanisms and cooperation channels under Article 6.
Laura Moraes, from the Brazilian initiative Earth Futball Club, presented the organization’s work using football as an integrated environmental education tool. She said football is a core passion in Brazil and described how Earth Futball Club combines sports training, climate workshops, community clean-up actions and waste-reduction projects, particularly plastic, in local schools and clubs.
Carolina Monaco, executive director of Eco House Global (Argentina), stressed the importance of community-built solutions co-created with young people. She presented the organization’s approach, based on civic engagement, hands-on training and field actions such as waste management, public-space restoration and climate awareness.
She also mentioned youth-led citizen-science programs and the integration of eco-responsible practices into sports environments. Monaco noted the exceptional momentum seen in Argentina after the 2022 World Cup victory, a national surge that offers significant potential to strengthen youth climate mobilization.
Oladosu Adenike, Nigerian ambassador of the African Youth Climate Hub, recalled the importance of this initiative launched by HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa during the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit in 2019. She highlighted the decisive role of African youth in transforming sports and climate systems through awareness campaigns, mobilizations and leadership programs.
Finally, Catarina Lorenzo, a young Brazilian climate activist and professional surfer from Salvador, Bahia, closed the event. She paid tribute to HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa for highlighting the link between sports and the environment. She said her engagement stemmed from surfing, which she has practiced since age two in a family of surfers.
Spending much of her life in the ocean, she has observed numerous negative changes, including coastal pollution and the gradual bleaching of coral reefs. She stressed the need to include children, adolescents and young people in decision-making spaces, as today’s decisions have a direct impact on their future.
She closed on a hopeful note, saying surfing constantly reminds her that there is still much life left to protect despite the threats facing the ocean.
Source: map
