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Lead by former Wallabies captain, David Pocock, 300 high-profile Australian athletes from across 30 sports are calling for bold climate action to safeguard the future of all Australians and the future of sport through a new campaign named ‘The Cool Down’.

The campaign launched this week aims to use the platforms of high-profile sportsmen and women to tackle the climate crisis with Pocock who, after retiring from rugby union in 2020, has focused his energies on conservation and climate activism.

The connection between extreme weather events and sport are highlighted by the campaign – including how heat has begun to impact the Australian Open tennis tournament along with the affect of bushfire smoke on professional sport.

Pocock advises “The Cool Down is a  movement by athletes for all Australians. We are calling for bold climate action to safeguard the future of all Australians and the future of sport.” 

Pocock along with the 300 current and former athletes have penned an open letter to Australia’s leaders encouraging bold action be taken as extreme weather events become more frequent and “our Australian way of life, including sport at every level” is jeopardised.

The group, which includes Pat Cummins, Cate and Bronte Campbell, Lance Franklin, Rohan Browning, Darcy Vescio, Mick Fanning, Craig Foster, Ian Chappell, Liz Ellis and Mark Webber, hopes to encourage Australians to make their voices heard. It has backed scientific calls for the country to cut greenhouse gas emissions at least in half by 2030 and reach net zero emissions before 2050.

The campaign highlights the connection between extreme weather events and sport – including how heat has impacted the Australian Open tennis tournament in recent times and how bushfire smoke has affected professional sport – and Pocock called for bold action to be taken.

Pocock highlights “the people and places we love, as well as the sports we love so much are threatened by climate change. We have the resources in our own backyard to be a world leader in this field and, as a sporting nation, we’re used to performing on the world stage. It’s time we harness that to focus on strong climate action.”

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has found greenhouse gas emissions are already affecting weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe, helping cause increased heatwaves, heavier rainfall events and more intense droughts and tropical cyclones. In Australia, it reported average temperatures above land had already increased by about 1.4C since 1910.

The Guardian reports that no major sporting organisation in Australia includes climate change in their annual reporting with former Diamonds netball coach Liz Ellis stating the campaign is “our stake in the ground to spread this important message. As sportspeople, we recognise the role we play in our sports-loving country and supporting the generations of athletes to come after us. We have the opportunity to take action within our field and use our platform to accelerate the change we need to see.”

Other sportspeople to lend their names to the campaign include current Wallabies captain Michael Hooper, AFL footballer Nat Fyfe and AFLW star Daisy Pearce, the NRL’s Nathan Cleary, golfer Karrie Webb, cricketer Rachael Haynes and Matildas duo Tameka Yallop and Alanna Kennedy.

The Australian government is facing increasing pressure to increase the 2030 emissions target it set six years ago and joins the more than 100 countries that have set a mid-century net zero emissions goal.

The open letter, which people are invited to sign, says “sport’s future is more uncertain than ever, but its power has never been more important."

“Australians have always punched above our weight on the world stage and it’s time to do it on climate.”

For more information and to sign go to thecooldown.com.au/

Image: Credit: David Pocock Instagram 

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