Protecting The Future of The Planet, The Future of Sport
What does former Wallabies captain David Pocock have to do with climate change? Find out why our sporting heroes are leading a movement to win Australia a place on the climate podium.
Written by Victoria Kent, Senior Investment Specialist
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
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You may have heard the expression 'if you want something done properly, do it yourself.'
It’s on this basis that climate advocate and former Wallabies captain David Pocock launched The Cool Down campaign.
Frustrated by political inaction on climate change, Pocock plus 300 other current and former athletes are taking matters into their own hands.
"We’re a small country that has outperformed on the global stage. We’ve broken records, won gold, World Cups, you name it. And now it’s our chance to come from behind on climate action."
They hope to make a difference via letters to political leaders demanding climate action, awareness raising, and sharing educational resources.
"Sport will be affected by climate change just like everything else, and this is our way of asking for change.....this letter is our chance to show that we want to do better. The more Australians who sign on, the stronger the message we send to our government, and the world, about what Australians really want for our future.”
This sentiment of individuals taking responsibility for global problems echoes that of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who at age 15, started campaigning outside the Swedish parliament for stronger action on climate change. This small act of defiance lead to a groundswell of global climate action.
Image: Climate Strike @Melbourne
It's inspiring to see both everyday 'ordinary Australians', as well as our sporting heroes, becoming more socially and environmentally active. Last year, thousands of Australians protested in the nation’s capitals demanding climate action from our leaders. School children and even babies got in on the action.
But especially in Australia, where the issue of climate change has been polarising to date. Similarly to in the U.S., beliefs about climate change have become a marker of partisan affiliation here in Australia.
However, Australians continue to disagree on how important climate change is, and voters attitudes don't always correspond with votes. One study found of the 80% of people who said they think it’s important Australia to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, 70% of these were conservative voters (those voting for Coalition parties).
“social support for climate action in Australia is no longer: “does climate change matter to enough Australians?”. Instead, the critical question may well be: “does climate change matter enough to Australians to shift climate politics?”.
Hopefully, initiatives like the Cool Down can create some groundswell support via high profile sportspeople. If successful, it may place pressure on the federal government in the lead up to the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) and the upcoming election.
If both sides of politics are in agreement about the importance of climate change to Australians, the focus then turns to what we are going to do about it.