IPL, an opportunity to bat for climate action

Source: The post is based on the article “IPL, an opportunity to bat for climate action” published in The Hindu on 29th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS-3: Environment and Bio-diversity Conservation

Relevance: About the environmental footprint of IPL.

News: The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has started. IPL has contributed significantly to India’s economy through sports tourism, employment generation, and infrastructure development. An event as big as the IPL also has a significant environmental footprint.

About the environmental footprint of IPL

Large­ scale sporting events such as the IPL have a complex and multifaceted impact on the environment.

Overall Emissions: For the IPL, studies estimate that a single match produces emissions in the range of 10,000 tCO2e to 14,000 tCO2e (or tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent). Over a season, this figure can reach up to 750k tCO2e to 900k tCO2e.

To contextualise these emissions, it would take tropical forests the size of Singapore over a whole year to absorb these emissions.

House emissions: Emissions assessments show that the emissions generated by sports venues only account for about 5% of their total. Whereas digital viewership during events such as the IPL contributes to more than three fourths of the total emissions footprint.

Other emissions: Data centres are the second most significant contributor to emissions during IPLs. Spectator travel, luxury accommodation, and backup generators round up the list of top five emitters.

The lack of reliable data on carbon emissions hinders the ability to plan and execute effective policies.

What are the impacts of climate change on cricket?

The impact of climate change is being felt across multiple aspects of cricket.

Changing weather patterns are affecting players, spectators, and ground conditions. For example, a 2019 report by the World Cricket Committee found that climate change is altering the sport’s landscape, impacting the length of the cricket season, and disrupting the playability of pitches.

Impact of heat waves: Increasing intensity of heat waves and worsening air quality in India have raised concerns for player safety during some of the matches.

Note: In 2018, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) signed an agreement to implement the concept of ‘zero waste’ or ‘green protocol’ to reduce wastage from cricket stadiums.

Why India should focus on IPL to reduce its environmental footprint?

a) The IPL’s broad social platform can influence attitudes towards sustainability and reach out to people from all backgrounds and areas, b) By promoting education and awareness around environmental issues, the IPL can encourage a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle, c) An event as big as the IPL is an opportunity to build awareness about the Net Zero transition, expanding on existing efforts and accelerating the journey to Net Zero.

What more India should do to reduce the environmental footprint of sports events?

Properly measure the emissions and track its reduction: India should adopt climate tech and leverage existing tech advancements should be used to properly measure the environmental footprint of sports events. This data can be used to set targets, track progress, and select cost-effective alternatives.

Change the data centre: A transition to renewable energy sources for the data centres and data streaming infrastructure can reduce the IPL’s carbon emissions by over 10%.

Encourage public transportation: The government and sports authorities should incentivise and use of public transport to and from stadiums. This can help reduce travel emissions by as much as 85% in sports events.

Change at the domestic level: Simple changes such as replacing LCD screens in homes with energy­ efficient LED displays can reduce the emission from each TV screen by 35%­ to 40%. This will result in as much as a 20% reduction in the overall carbon footprint of such highly televised sports tournaments.