Sport: Feeling the heat

One of the Hub's key communication strategies is to disseminate content where attention already is, rather than to think that the message is powerful enough to gain attention by itself. This requires extensive research into the 'attention economy' of national media ecosystems, as well as the relevance of messages.

In Australia for example, a great deal of attention is given to sport, and therefore messages that talk about the future impact of climate change on sport will receive much more attention than those providing general scientific information. In 2020, the Hub was commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation to produce reports on three high profile Australian sporting events – tennis, cricket and cycling – showcasing the implications of climate change on these events out to 2050 and 2070.

The reports attracted coverage from over 150 media outlets around the world, with the Hub and ACF conducting numerous TV Radio and podcast interviews in Australia. Below are links to some of the coverage around the Australian Open, linking to our report. This coverage spans the ABC, New Daily, Guardian, Huffington Post, The Age, SMH, SBS, 3AW, The Australian, AAP/AFR, and syndicated news in regional newspapers right across the country. Internationally, the reports reached outlets including Reuters, Outlook India, Xinhau Net, Eurosport, Tennis World USA, Fox Sports Asia, and the New York Times.

These reports have demonstrated a capacity to influence policy debates, such as calls to move the Australian Open from January to the cooler shoulder months of November or March. Debate around such topics ignited in 2022 across the Australian, The Sydney Daily Telegraph, Courier Mail, Herald Sun, Adelaide Advertiser and News.com.au.

These reports can be downloaded here:

Love 40 degrees?
Climate change, extreme heat and the Australian Open

Vicious cycle:
Climate change, extreme heat and the Tour Down Under

Caught behind:
Climate change, extreme heat and the Boxing Day Test

The Hub has teamed up with Footy for Climate to understand AFL players', club administrators', and fans' awareness of climate impacts on the game, and to determine accessible solutions.

Footy is one of Australia's most loved and iconic sports. However, changes in our climate are posing significant risks to the future of the game.

Since 2020, the AFL has financially supported over 500 clubs across the country that have experienced adverse impacts of climate-fueled extreme weather. With average temperatures on the rise and more frequent and intense extreme weather events occurring across the country, long term planning is essential to ensure all clubs – from grassroots to professional – can continue to grow and thrive.

In partnership with Footy for Climate and FrontRunners, this project investigates players’, club administrators’, and fans’ awareness of climate impacts on, and actions implemented by, AFL clubs and the League. It will also examine how we can most effectively support community clubs in climate change mitigation and adaptation actions.