Overview of the network

Cool Down is the Sport for Climate Action Network, working to ensure the sporting community leads the way on a rapid and fair climate transition. The power of sport gives it a responsibility to lead by example, protect its fans, and safeguard its future and the future of all that love it.

We believe that sport and the climate emergency are inseparable, and work with partners to:

  • Challenge high-carbon sponsorships and advertising deals, as well as the broader co-option of sport by major polluters (also known as sportswashing) 

  • Raise awareness of how climate change is impacting sport and threatening its future

  • Draw attention to the environmental impact of elite competitions and the continued lack of action and ambition

  • Champion figures speaking out on climate change and the threat it poses to sport

  • Provide a platform for sportspeople from the grassroots to the elite and equip them with the tools to speak out effectively

As part of a broad and growing global alliance, we will learn and share ways for sport to act on the climate emergency. Everyone has something to offer, and we all have a role to play. The voices of those most vulnerable and who are least responsible for the problem find it hardest to be heard and we will work tirelessly to amplify them. The time for action is now.

  • The network was initiated by the New Weather Institute and the Rapid Transition Alliance. Its membership has now grown to a coalition of over 40 global sporting organisations and campaigns working to raise awareness, challenge those polluting sports, and help lead the way on rapid transition.

  • Any adverts for goods and services, such as fossil fuel companies, SUVs, fossil-powered cars and air travel that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases and are disproportionately responsible for the climate crisis.

  • Whether it's an ad for a large polluting car or a rolling sponsorship banner for an airline at a football game watched by millions, high-carbon advertising and sponsorship currently normalises and encourages carbon intensive behaviours in the midst of a climate emergency. 


    This form of sponsorship works. Research shows that fans and spectators begin to associate the intense emotion of sport with the brands that sponsor the teams and tournaments. This results in fans building positive associations with specific brands, often overlooking their more questionable and damaging practices.

  • Put simply, if you are facing a monumental problem, you should - at the very least - not promote goods and services that are making it worse. Encouraging the consumption of high-carbon goods and services by allowing corporate polluters to promote their products or greenwash their image, is simply not compatible with the need to urgently reduce CO2 emissions and restore nature.

    The United Nations, UK House of Lords, the UN Environment Programme and the World Health Organisation have all flagged the need to address high-carbon advertising to promote sustainable behaviour change, protect public health and ensure a habitable planet. 

    Sport provides a platform for these polluters to promote their planet-wrecking goods and services to a captive audience of billions. If sport is serious about addressing the climate crisis, it must cut ties with polluters.

  • Upheaval in the climate is already taking its toll on global sport. Crises face every activity from winter and water sports to grass pitches, stadiums and hard courts. Climate breakdown means heatwaves and heat strokes for players and public alike, extreme weather that floods stadiums and grassroots playing fields; sea level rises that will inundate football grounds and sweep away golf links.


    In 2019, the Rugby World Cup was disrupted by unprecedented pacific typhoons; in early 2020, the Australian Tennis Open was disrupted by the smoke blowing in from the country’s devastating bushfires. Even before the pandemic changed the date, the Tokyo 2021 Olympics were “the hottest in history” with conditions described as “torturous”, with athletes warning that extreme heat at the Paris 2024 Olympics could pose a risk to athletes’ lives.

  • Some action has been taken. A number of sports clubs, tournament organisers and government bodies have shunned polluting sponsors over fear of backlash and reputational damage. But much more is needed as major polluters increasingly look to sport to maintain their social licence and stay relevant in a world that is slowly transitioning away from fossil fuels.