Although it no longer sponsors the Channel 4 report, BP is still “Golden Partner” British Paralympic Games (BPA) contract Due to running Until the Tokyo Olympics.
tobacco
BP is also a International partners International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Until tokyo It also sponsors the National Paralympic Committees and individual athletes of Angola, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Now, BPA and IPC will be under pressure to not renew their contracts and seek alternative funds, because these funds will not provide legitimacy for those who continue to damage the climate and may harm the health of their athletes.
The obvious change in Tokyo Olympic sponsorship is as more and more athletes start Talk about climate changeDuring the Olympic Games last month, many people faced health-threatening heat, and many events were forced to reschedule to avoid extreme weather.
At the same time, before the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November, voices against fossil fuel sponsorship of sports and art continued to grow.It also follows Ecologist According to an exclusive report, the Glasgow City Council intends to prohibit organizations that “contribute to catastrophic climate change”, including oil companies, from using parliament-owned premises during the November meeting.
have Major polluters sponsor sports events It is a particularly sensitive issue, comparable to the era when tobacco companies were major sports sponsors.
forward
Athletes are very adaptable to the climate and air quality, so they live and work on the front lines of global warming. Extreme weather events caused by pollution exacerbating climate emergencies make sports and their livelihoods unstable at best and impossible at worst.
Requiring sportsmen to participate in events sponsored by polluters who are deteriorating air quality and climate deterioration will harm the interests of athletes and put them in an impossible situation.
Channel 4’s abandonment of BP as a Paralympic broadcast sponsor—even if they refuse to admit why—should send a broader message to the sports world to learn from the process of abandoning tobacco sponsorship.
Published by organizations and individuals concerned about sports and climate A statement In response to the news, he said: “We welcome this sign that sports are beginning to move away from embracing high-carbon brands, refusing to become billboards and advertising for companies that exacerbate the climate emergency.”
The initial announcement sponsored by BP has been satisfied by a company Strong opposition from young climate strikers with petition Initiated by climate activists 350.org.
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When the news came, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s opposition to BP’s sponsorship of art reached new heights. Ending its BP sponsorship agreement in the middle of the contract Just a few months ago.
A few weeks after the sponsorship agreement was announced on Channel 4, 1,500 people participated Three-day creative protest Oppose BP’s controversial sponsorship of the British Museum, which is the largest in the museum’s 260-year history.
Since April, there have also been Growing opposition Oppose Shell’s sponsorship of the Science Museum’s flagship climate exhibition.
Oil and gas giants including BP and Shell have Widely criticized Announce Promise full of loopholes To achieve “net zero” by 2050, while failing to make specific commitments to align its business with the goals set in the Paris Climate Agreement, or end the exploration of new fossil fuel sources.
Channel 4 coverage will include more than 300 hours of live TV shows, including the evening version of The Last Leg hosted by comedian Adam Hills, and 1,000 hours of 16 live coverage.
manufacturer
Antonio GuterresThe Secretary-General of the United Nations responded to the recent climate report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)-which was described as “Code Red Representing Humanity“—— A generationn Very clear terms.
He said: “This report must sound the death knell for coal and fossil fuels, lest they destroy our planet. If we join together now, we can avoid climate catastrophe. But, as the report clearly states, there is no time to delay. There is no excuse.”
The sports world is still flooded with many high-carbon sponsorship agreements In a recent report, sweat is not oil, Depend on New Meteorological Institute, Rapid Transformation Alliance with possible Reveal more than 250 transactions between high-carbon industries and leading sports teams.
The most recent 2020 European Football Championship was strongly sponsored by Gazprom, a major polluting company, and the controversial automaker Volkswagen.
The petrochemical giant Ineos (INEOS) owned by the richest man in the UK, Jim Ratcliffe, is currently “Ineos UK teamThe sailing team, the’INEOS Grenadiers’ cycling team, was recently announced as the new sponsor of the New Zealand All Black Rugby team. Act of criticism By environmental activists.
These authors
Jess Worth is the co-director of Culture Unstained. Over the past ten years, he has been working to end the oil sponsorship of culture and promote ethical funding of the arts.
Andrew Sims Is the co-director of the New Weather Research Institute, Rapid Transformation Alliance, deputy director Globally Responsible Scientist And a research assistant at the University of Sussex.
