Beyond Ornamental Look, Does Barabati T20I Organizers Care For Climate?

Amid the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste, recently-concluded Stockholm+50 acted as a springboard to accelerate implementation of UN Decade of Action to deliver Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the 2030 Agenda, Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and encourage the adoption of a global agreement to end plastic pollution, while also advancing green post-COVID-19 recovery plans.

The global sports fraternity faces many more challenges than ever before as it aims to place sustainability at the heart of sporting events like Olympic Games, World Cups and other major tournaments, investments and operations. This has been increasingly the case since 2015 that saw the adoption of 2030 Agenda and UN SDGs, as well as the Paris Climate Accord.

The global sports community is squarely behind the Paris Agreement and the commitment to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C, and has a critical role to play in tackling the triple crisis of climate, nature and pollution, which requires investment and innovations from the private sector to drive lasting, positive impact.

Concerted international effort and engagement of all stakeholders is needed. Interlinked challenges in an interconnected world need coordinated, concerted and holistic approaches and multilateral and multilevel cooperation. The more sports bodies are involved and informed about the issues and processes designed to address them, the more it can engage and drive action within its own activities and operations, as well as innovate and invest.

Cricket, a non-Olympic sport dominated mostly by Commonwealth nations, can do a lot in tackling the triple crisis of climate, nature and pollution. And there can’t be a better time to explore how Barabati Stadium, venue of the second T20 International, is dealing with climate crisis.

However, recent history shows whenever a big cricket event comes to Barabati, it’s in the news for ticket mismanagement, tickets sold out, fancy look of the stadium, new look of players’ dressing room, etc.

The triple crisis of climate, nature and pollution hardly has any significance for the host of a cricket game or with legacy of the city. It’s more of a carnival or visiting a tourist site which adds, rather than offset, climate footprint.

However, on Sunday, when India and South Africa lock horns under floodlights, there will be a little cheer for environment as the organizers switched to LED-based floodlights, that will reduce consumption of fossil fuels and make carbon footprint a tad green, compared to previous matches.

But larger questions remain unanswered — why is staging a cricket match yet to be climate neutral by dealing with construction, procurement, garbage, adding solar energy, saving water, offsetting carbon footprint, encouraging green mobility etc. Instead of going green, the Mahanadi river bed is often carpeted with laterite dust to facilitate parking of vehicles. It has a direct impact on river ecosystems. No one knows where the waste goes or how much fuel is burnt for the game by the hosts as well as spectators

Barabati must ignite green initiative to send a message that cricket is in the same bus that carries concerns of global climate.

Climate crisis is arguably the biggest challenge humanity is currently facing. It is affecting all facets of life, including sports which is an important part of society. Cutting carbon emissions in sports is no more a taboo, rather it’s possible.

Tokyo reduced it’s carbon footprint during the Olympic Games last year by 12.5% compared to previous editions.

Similarly Paris, which will host the next Summer Olympics in 2024, has set the ambitious goal of cutting the event’s carbon footprint by half, to 1.5 million tonnes of CO2e. But to achieve this, the organizers will need to take various measures.

Hopefully, organizers will look to reducing carbon footprint beyond ornamental look of a cricket stadium.