ICCDI Leverages Sports for Climate Change Advocacy

• Holds Maiden Sports4Climate Justice challenge

The International Climate Change Development Initiative (ICCDI) says it is committed to building a climate smart generation across Africa by leveraging various sports activities.

The Executive Director, ICCDI, Mr Olumide Idowu, said this on the sidelines of a football competition towards dragging the advocacy of climate change to the grassroots.

Olumide said that the goal of the event, tagged: “Sports for Climate Justice,” was to leverage the various sporting activities across the state to raise awareness on the impact of climate change and how it affects the environment.

“We also want to teach them how to take responsibilities for their environment,” Idowu said.

According to Idowu, ICCDI plans to hold the advocacy twice every year across the country.

He noted that given available resources, the organisation had the plan to extend it beyond Lagos.

“We will make sure that we increase the awareness by going from one state to the other, not limiting it to just Lagos, but extending it to other states.

“We have football as our main focus with Ludo, Draft and some other games we are going to be introducing as time goes on,” Idowu said.

He said that about five teams participated in the maiden edition.

Also Mr Ayobami Okunola of the office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Climate change and Circular Economy, said that the fastest approach to solving climate change challenges was through circular economy.

“From our end, climate change is an economic perspective for us,” Okunola said.

He said that waste is an avenue for sportsmen to make a career and earn a living after retiring from active sports activities.

The General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Dr Tunde Ajayi, said that climate change affects every facet of human endeavour including sporting activities.

Represented by Dr Bukonla Olisa, Head, Partnerships, Grants Management and innovation, LASEPA, Ajayi said that sportting activity a contributes to climate change.

Citing the example of sports tournament, Ajayi said that sports activities involve people travelling from one point to the other through air, land and sea, thereby contributing to climate change.

According to him, some of our stadiums are powered by generators using fossil fuel which is a contributor to Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.

The event had a gathering of youths who where taught how to mitigate climate change by showing care for the environment.