For a long time, climate change and its effects have been considered a foreign concept, and very few people are able to grasp the effects and relate them to current events. Some may wonder what impact gaming has on our climate? Do two boxers exchanging punches in the ring have an impact on the climate?

According to the European Union’s European Climate Pact, the relationship between sport and climate can be described as complex: on the one hand, emissions from sport contribute significantly to climate change, but on the other hand, Heat waves and other extreme weather events negatively affect competitions and impact the health and performance of athletes.

Major sporting events attract fans from around the world to watch and celebrate their favorite players, generating massive amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the greenhouse gases. The recently staged Riyadh season boxing showdown at Wembley Stadium in London hosted the highly anticipated fight night between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois.

Attendance exceeded 95,000 people, with a huge carbon footprint. The carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by a person’s activities, including travel, energy consumption and the amount of waste generated.

Some participants flew in and out of the country to attend the match, generating and leaving significant amounts of waste during the event. On average, each person generates around 14 kg (30 lb) of CO2 per day, contributing to overall CO2 levels in the atmosphere and impacting climate change.

Urša Kragelj, former Slovenian Climate Pact ambassador and Olympic kayaker, urges her fellow athletes to take part in climate action: “First, stand up for an issue you care about. Talk to your institutions and organizations and try to make a change, like reducing waste at events.

Although no high-profile boxer specifically advocates for climate change, many athletes across various sports are leveraging their influence to bring environmental concerns into the spotlight. For example, long-distance swimmer Lewis Pugh, UN oceans boss, took to swimming in vulnerable ecosystems to draw attention to the effects of climate change.

Global bodies are beginning to act; Swissnex for the planet, an initiative aimed at exploring a new form of diplomacy focused on rebalancing human and non-human interests on this planet, organized the Climate Ring, an ephemeral boxing arena for the fight of the century: that of planet Earth .

Similar to a 12-round boxing match, the Climate ring, presented by Swissnex, saw more than 75 speakers from around the world step into a boxing ring in New York’s East Village to join in the fight of the century: the fight for our planet.

From September 25 to 27, the event welcomed heavyweights and rising stars from education, research, innovation and the arts, highlighting Swiss contributions to global climate efforts. An article on their site revealed that over the course of twelve sessions, presenters tackled climate change from all angles – from fashion to food systems and from sustainable aviation to coastal adaptation.

“We were inspired by the boxing metaphor because it represents many of the qualities we need to fight climate change: perseverance and resilience in the face of setbacks, and the ability to adapt under pressure. To represent this fighting spirit, we decided to hold our events in a real boxing ring,” said Benjamin Bollmann, CEO of Swissnex in Boston and New York.

Is it time to start the conversation? Rightly, all other actors are beginning to take steps to reduce the harmful effects of their actions on climate change. We need to walk the talk and bring more boxers, promoters and sponsors to the stage to advocate for climate action to reduce the impact of boxing as a sport on greenhouse gas emissions. greenhouse effect in the environment and other adverse effects on the climate and human health.