Extreme E joins United Nation’s Sport For Nature framework
December 19, 2022
Sport for purpose electric racing series, Extreme E, has today signed the Sports for Nature Declaration, as part of the United Nations’ (UN) call for sporting organisations across the globe to do more for sustainability.The series is one of the first to sign up to the UN’s Sport for Nature Framework, which aims to safeguard nature, contribute to new biodiversity goals, and restore key ecosystems by 2030.It is yet another example of Extreme E’s unerring commitment to raising awareness of the climate crisis and sustainable, low carbon solutions, alongside electrification and gender equality.
As part of signing up to the Framework, Extreme E will commit to sustainability action plans for four principles:
- Protect nature and avoid damage to natural habitats and species
- Restore and regenerate nature wherever possible
- Understand and reduce risks to nature in our supply chains
- Educate and inspire positive action for nature across and beyond sport
The series will provide an annual report regarding its commitment to the aforementioned principles, where its effectiveness and credibility will be analysed alongside the other organisations, such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who have signed up.Julia Wall-Clarke, Head of Impact and Communications at Extreme E, said: “Our organisation recognises that protecting and restoring nature is critical for ensuring a healthy environment, which athletes and the whole of society need to thrive. This has been best evidenced through our legacy programmes, where Extreme E identifies impactful projects for each race location with support from the Scientific Committee, partner NGOs, and engagement with the local community. Through our championship, working alongside the UN and together with our leading scientists and partners, we are proud to sign the Sports for Nature declaration and play our part in supporting a low-carbon future. This is yet further evidence of our commitment towards environmental responsibility and extensive efforts to promote sustainability.”
Speaking at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) held in Montreal, Canada, Professor Carlos Duarte from Extreme E’s Scientific Committee added: “For Extreme E to be at the forefront of sporting organisations in signing the Sports for Nature Declaration is a landmark moment. We have already seen the vast potential of Extreme E to raise awareness of climate change and promote impactful solutions by engaging audiences in a shared vision of a sustainable planet. This will only continue to grow as the need to tackle climate change becomes more critical. We understand that to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and support the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, it is imperative to take action that will deliver transformative change to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.”In 2019, Extreme E joined the United Nations’ Sports for Climate Action Framework as part of its commitment to climate protection.
The Sports for Climate Action initiative, led by the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was born out of the 2015 Paris Agreement and calls on sporting organisations to acknowledge the contribution of the sports sector to climate change and their responsibility to strive towards climate neutrality for a safer planet.Extreme E is also an advocate of The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), better known as the Global Goals. All 17 of the Goals are for everyone, everywhere – like Extreme E they reach the far corners of the planet, from icecaps to islands and deserts to deep oceans.Extreme E is supporting many of them – for example, goal five, gender equality via its gender equal racing format, a world-first in motorsport. Plus, goal nine – industry, innovation, and infrastructure – by showcasing new technologies that can help accelerate the shift to clean energy.Goals 14 and 15 – life below water and life on land – through its various Legacy Programmes that leave long-lasting positive impacts in the locations in which the series races, right through to goal 13 – climate action – one of the biggest driving forces behind the championship.