“Climate change is the biggest issue humanity faces, and I want to be part of the solution. – Sofie Junge Pedersen
After months of background talks, it was announced on July 12th that Sofie Junge Pedersen and 43 other Women’s World Cup players would be leading the largest ever player-driven climate campaign. The players – Danish, Canadian and Italian internationals led by Sofie, Jessie Fleming and Elena Linari – are taking responsibility for their World Cup related carbon emissions by donating money to support a combination of adaptation initiatives, carbon offsetting projects and climate resilience programs. Player donations will go to a tree planting program in Uganda run by Danish non-governmental organization DanChurchAid, a WWF Australia Koala habitat restoration program in New South Wales, and a coastal habitat restoration initiative run by WWF New Zealand.
Although Sofie is injured, and will no longer feature in the tournament, her actions off the field in the lead up to this tournament have been historic. According to a recent interview with the Guardian, Sofie’s concern for the environment began in 2009 when COP 15 was held in Copenhagen. Knowing she could not sit by idly as climate change struck one community after another Sofie decided to act. She began offsetting her travel-related emissions and eventually proposed to her Danish and Juventus teammates that they compensate the carbon emissions from their flights to and from this Women’s World Cup.
Her idea won a lot of support in both dressing rooms, so she sought out support in the wider soccer community. She approached Common Goal and Football For Future (FFF) first since she was already a member of the Climate Champions Community run by these organizations. She found them willing to partner with her once more. Both are non-profit soccer organizations using collaboration to push for an equitable and environmentally sustainable game. After hearing Sofie’s idea, the organizations began exploring ways to make it come to fruition, while simultaneously helping Sofie recruit more players to the cause.
One player snowballed into three and by the time the tournament kicked off 44 players had signed up to the project. Marcela Muñoz Téllez, Impact Experience Lead at Common Goal, says priority number one was supporting Sofie’s goal of taking responsibility for her carbon emissions and making sure she and her fellow athletes knew this was a collective movement. She notes that many professional players are passionate about political, social or environmental issues like climate change, but do not feel supported or informed enough to speak up. Common Goal and FFF made sure all players involved in this initiative felt supported to participate in their own way – some only donating and others acting as spokespeople for the project.
The FFF team worked hand-in-hand with the staff at Common Goal to provide the players with tips on effective climate change communication and to further educate them on environmental sustainability. This included an explanation on the drawbacks of carbon offsetting projects – mainly that they can be opaque, unreliable and lack long term verification and standardization. The organizations then helped the players draw up a list of projects they might be interested in supporting. After several meetings, the players settled on DanChurchAid’s Ugandan tree planting project (which Sofie is an ambassador of) and the two WWF adaptation initiatives in the World Cup host nations.
All parties understand that donating to these projects to compensate for carbon emissions is an imperfect, short-term solution. But they believe that each project will provide a positive environmental and social impact for its local community. Elliot Arthur-Worsop, Founder of FFF hopes “that this campaign engages fans, players and organisations to script a sustainable future where football’s influence transcends beyond success on the pitch, to triumphs for our planet and the generations to come.”
To ensure each project received proper funding, FFF and Common Goal used the myclimate carbon calculator to help each player calculate their carbon emissions (in tons) based on a business class return flight from their country of origin. Players supporting the DanChurchAid project then made donations of $34 per ton of carbon emitted. Common Goal Environmental Lead Jérémy Houssin explained that this price was set by the global carbon market after the project was reviewed, audited and certified by an independent third party based on its size, location and methodology. To calculate the correct donation amount for the WWF projects, Houssin says the organizations looked at the social cost of carbon – the damage done to society by each ton of carbon emitted. Using the U.S. government standard for the social cost of carbon, Common Goal and FFF determined the WWF projects required $51 per ton of carbon.
As the tournament rolls on, the work behind the scenes is ongoing. Since the original announcement was made three Spanish players – Irene Paredes, Laia Codina and Claudia Zornoza – have joined the cause. Muñoz Téllez says that Common Goal continues to receive calls from players who are interested in joining the campaign or who want to learn more about it. This is music to the ears of Common Goal’s Impact Experience Lead, who says “this is an open invitation for athletes that might be interested to reach out.” However, she admits that this is not a campaign that any of the parties wishes to repeat. She highlights the fact that this is not a sustainable solution to the climate problem, rather a short term campaign that made sense for this tournament – and one that hopefully sets a legacy and shines a light on female leadership within the game.
The entire endeavor is a testament to the power of collaboration within the beautiful game – which Arthur-Worsop calls “the undisputed engine of change” – and the refreshing approach these non-profit organizations and players are taking by using soccer as a catalyst for social and environmental transformation. In the words of FFF’s founder, “In this milestone campaign, all involved brought refreshing perspectives, groundbreaking ideas, and unbridled innovation to the forefront of the beautiful game. Although there are undoubtedly many steps to go and work to do, we are confident that our shared vision will be a catalyst for future tournaments.”
The campaign also symbolizes the progressive nature of women’s soccer, which continues to push the use of sport for social change. In the past several years, female soccer players have advocated for equal pay and LGBTQ+ rights, and at this World Cup the German National Team is pledging 1% of its prize money to gender equity rights in Germany, while the U.S. women are raising awareness about mental health.
Each of these campaigns demonstrates to other athletes, fans and sports organizations that they can engage with the causes they feel most connected to, and they do not need to be experts to make a real difference. Progressive organizations like Common Goal and FFF are led by bold, innovative minds that are happy to meet athletes where they are and help them get their message out. So expect more campaigns like these to surface soon, because the power of soccer, and sports more generally, is being harnessed to champion the planet.
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