8th WORLD CONFERENCE ON SPORT AND THE ENVIRONMENT

8th World Conference on Sport and the Environment
International Cooperation and Development Department
Report
She summarised the carbon footprint of the event, with respect to stadia construction, energy
use, transport and International transport. One of the questions is whether South Africa should
make the event carbon neutral, given that much of the CO 2 emissions are international travel.
A challenge is that offsetting requires more money. But the national government will not provide
more funds, because of the economic crisis, which has led to the belief that the money can go to
other more important areas.
Mr Ian Gill,
President, Ecotrust Canada, Canada
Mr Gill started his presentation with a quote from the environmental author Ed Abbey, who stated,
“The best thing to do for the environment is stay home.” However, he contended that the sport
industry can’t do this since one can’t stay home. For instance, he pointed out that the Games are
just one event, and Canada hosts about 250,000 sporting events every year. Moreover, 30% of
overnight fl ights to Canada are to participate in sport.
He stated that the greatest contribution VANOC can make is to invest in renewable energy right
here at home, what he called “backyard carbon offsets” or “community development offsets.” He
stated that, “An old rallying cry says “Think Globally, Act Locally. Olympics are a global act that
should have local benefi ts. So the saying should be: Think globally, benefi t locally.”
Mr James Mack,
Acting Head, BC Climate Action Secretariat, Canada
Mr Mack stated that the Government of BC has recognised that climate change is a human
problem. One of the tools in BC is the revenue neutral carbon tax, with the revenue generated
allowing for reductions to personal and corporate taxes. He stated that BC will be taking action
in every sector. For example, in 2010, the Government of BC will be carbon neutral, which means
that many people will be affected by the initiative – both employees and their children.
The challenge, according to Mr Mack, is to think about the role of sport. The challenge for the BC
Government, in the Olympic context, is that it cannot pass a law to make gold medal athletes. It
can inspire but not make the necessary changes. This is the same case in climate change: the
government can inspire, but the person needs to resolve to make that choice to change.
Mr Mack outlined three key points:
1. Athletes can be role models and inspire young people by showing them that by setting a target
and taking on impossible odds, you can achieve great things. Olympic athletes are needed to
show what is desirable and cool to young people.
2. The Games will be a showcase for BC technology and entrepreneurship. He contended that
the companies that come forward with offsets will be seen as entrepreneurial.
3. There is a real opportunity for every British Columbian to decide what is the take-away message
from the Games. They must think about what they want people to remember about BC, which
will crystallise how they want to contribute.
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