One of the leading global promotors,  Eurosport Events, has signalled a further move towards a low-carbon future for motorsport by joining the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework’s (UNFCCC) Sports for Climate Action initiative. 

As a signatory to the Sports for Climate Action Framework, the promotor of PURE ETCR, the world’s first all-electric touring car championship, will work with all its series partners to commit achieving and supporting global climate change goals.

The Sports for Climate Action initiative 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.

As well as further driving forward the electrification of motorsport with PURE ETCR, Eurosport Events, part of Discovery, Inc. promotes more than 30 major global sporting events across five championships annually.  PURE ETCR will be the flagship series for best practice within Eurosport Events in this regard. It has already committed to increasing the visibility of electromobility and providing a global platforms for major car manufacturers change the perception of electric cars into one that views them as cool, fun and desirable.

Speaking at the launch event for the Framework, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa explained that sports organisations and athletes are in a unique position in the race against climate change “because sport touches on every cross-section of society.”

With this in mind, Eurosport Events hopes its commitment will inspire sports fans, communities and governments to raise their climate ambition in a united effort to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, said: “Today is a very proud day for us as an organisation and a big statement in terms of our environmental commitments going forwards. Eurosport Events currently promotes more than 30 major events and five championships globally - including PURE ETCR - so by making this commitment to the UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action initiative, we are making a decisive statement that we acknowledge the impact of sport to climate change and aim to reduce our own impact in collaboration with all the other signatories across the world. This is a race we can, and must, win to try to help reduce the risks of climate change.”

As a tangible example this year, PURE ETCR’s maiden season in 2021 will see several notable steps to reduce harmful emissions, including the use of an all-weather tyre from Goodyear, meaning fewer will need to be produced and transported.

The series has a strict sea-freight-only policy is in place, which is 100 times less harmful than air transport and made possible by the promotor thanks to a considered and optimised calendar, as well as exclusively utilising decarbonised electricity for charging the race cars provided by selecting hydrogen generators.

In line with the five core principles enshrined in the UN Framework and the aims of the Paris Agreement in 2016, Eurosport Events will strive to:

1. Promote greater environmental responsibility

2. Reduce the overall climate impact from sports

3. Use its platforms to educate for climate action

4. Promote sustainable and responsible consumption

5. Advocate for climate action through its communications

More broadly, Discovery’s global initiative, RISE, is the company’s commitment to Reducing Inequality and Supporting Empowerment for underserved populations across the globe, addressing social mobility through access to the most basic human needs. Powered by its partnership with Save the Children and amplified through local charities and organizations, RISE supports more than 10 million people in 22 nations identified as having the most need. The partnership has taken on greater breadth since the it was launched in early 2020, much in part due the many issues known to drive inequality such as racial injustice and COVID-19.