The Swiss Olympic Climate Fund bridges the gap between climate protection and sport and thus touches an important nerve. On the one hand, the emissions caused by Swiss sport are considerable: travel to and from sports events alone accounts for 8 per cent of Switzerland’s traffic volume and produces around one million tonnes of CO2*. On the other hand, the sports sector is significantly affected by climate change, to name just two examples: a lack of snow in the winter or heat waves in the summer.
How Does the Swiss Olympic Climate Fund Work?
The Swiss Olympic Climate Fund enables sports federations, clubs and events to take responsibility for unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions. The fund is financed by contributions from (sports) organisations, commercial businesses, sponsors and private individuals. Parties can choose between two different contribution options and climate protection portfolios. Projects can be supported exclusively in Switzerland or in a combination of Swiss and international projects. With both options, the majority of the funds flow back into Swiss sport. The Swiss Olympic Climate Fund Committee uses the funds for various solutions in Switzerland. On the one hand, smaller, local climate protection measures are supported directly by Swiss sports federations and clubs. For example, an electric bus has been co-financed for the Ticino Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (GTSC). The Swiss Olympic Climate Fund also supports larger, certified Swiss climate protection projects related to sport, such as the installation of climate-friendly heating at the Frauenfeld indoor swimming pool.
With the combined contribution option, certified international climate protection projects are supported in addition to the Swiss measures mentioned above. These are characterised by high impact per Swiss franc invested and contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as reduce CO2 emissions. In this way, climate protection projects promote both environmental and social sustainability.
What are the Benefits of the Swiss Olympic Climate Fund?
The Swiss Olympic Climate Fund offers Swiss sports clubs and federations a simple and accessible way to calculate their emissions and make payments into the fund. In the web-based solution provided by myclimate, various payment options can be selected, allowing air travel, sporting events and general office emissions to be taken into account.
The cooperation between the Swiss Olympic Climate Fund and myclimate is characterised by the fund’s sophisticated system and the potential to reach a large and important target group. Many Swiss people are not only active in sport, but are also members of a club or federation and can make a collective contribution to climate protection through the Swiss Olympic Climate Fund. Applying for funding to implement climate protection measures in one’s own club is simple and straightforward, and doing so benefits many people. Karin Wunderlin-Rauber from Swiss Olympic is satisfied with the result of the collaboration: “We are very pleased with the many positive reactions to the Swiss Olympic Climate Fund. The mechanism is innovative and effective, and the work is important for the climate and for Swiss sport”.
Thanks to the Swiss Olympic Climate Fund mechanism described above, federations and clubs in the sports sector can use the climate protection contributions paid for their emissions to benefit sport – and the environment. True to the motto “By Swiss sport, for Swiss sport”.
You can find out more (in German) about the Swiss Olympic Climate Fund at www.swissolympic.ch/klimafonds.
Source:
“Umweltwirkungen des Sports” (Environmental Impact of Sport) Swiss Sport Observatory (sportobs.ch)