MADRID, 9 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The regatta ‘The Ocean Race’ wants to go a step further in the fight against climate change and has proposed to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of its participants by up to 75 percent for its 2022/23 edition .
With the aim of being a “climate positive” event through this reduction in GHG emissions compared to the previous season, the regatta organization is in talks with the teams, host cities, sponsors and suppliers.
Among the measures are intended to reduce the use of containers to send material around the world, as well as a reduction in the number of traveling personnel and an improvement in the management of material resources, food and waste. In addition, the regatta will now last six months, instead of nine in other editions.
The Ocean Race will also collaborate by investing in ocean projects such as the restoration of vital marine habitats and carbon removal. Also, through an innovative scientific program, the ships will collect data on the state of the seas while sailing, to collaborate with research.
The regatta will start on January 15, 2023 in Alicante, where all the parties involved in the race will meet to seek more solutions for the sustainability of the race. There will be the main sponsor, 11th Hour Racing, the logistics sponsor, GAC Pindar, IMOCA, the teams, the hospitality agency ATPI, the official clothing supplier, Helly Hansen, representatives of the eight cities and different technical experts, such as Verra , which manages the carbon standard or IOC Unesco, the United Nations body responsible for supporting global ocean science.
The Ocean Race’s sustainability advisor, Meegan Jones, stressed that “sport has the power to inspire and accelerate action and this is more important in the race against climate change than anywhere else.” “We are drastically cutting emissions compared to the last edition of 2017-18, but creating a climate-positive event can only happen with the support and input of all the organizations involved in the regatta,” she stated.
“While some event organizers offset their sponsors’ emissions, we believe the onus should be on everyone involved to play their part. By doing this, we not only reduce the impact of a single event, but also help create a industry-wide change,” Jones concluded.