A Comeback Against Climate Change

We are under 6 months out from COP 30.

In the light of this, we are taking a look at the open letter written by incoming COP 30 president André Corrêa do Lago, what it means for football, and how the language of football is being used in the climate change conversation.

COP30, the letter states, takes place at the epicenter of the climate crisis. This is hammered home by the confirmation that 2024 was the hottest year on record globally, and the first year with a global average temperature exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. 

Perhaps unsurprising given the huge cultural significance that football holds in Brazil, it was nevertheless interesting to see the president-to-be reference football to stress the importance of taking climate action.

“As the nation of football, Brazil believes we can win by “virada.” This means fighting back to turn the game around when defeat seems almost certain. Together, we can make COP30 the moment we turn the game around, when we put into practice our political achievements and our collective knowledge to change the course of the next decade.”

Donald Trump’s recent actions in the US have done little to assuage concerns that we the world’s largest forces are not contributing enough to climate change mitigation. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, it seems increasingly less likely that a World Cup hosted predominantly in the USA will build upon the progress that Euro 2024 made in hosting a sustainable international tournament.

One of the largest contributors to the climate crisis, the US withdrew from the Paris agreement, which saw the world’s major nations agree to collective action, to limit global climate warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. 

André Corrêa do Lago was right to stress the need to turn things around. It may be that we need a few substitutions among the world’s decision-makers, before we are able to mount a proper comeback in the battle against climate change.