America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast22 Jun

How Football (soccer!) Plans to Adapt to a Hotter World

In episode 255 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons speaks with Elliot Arthur-Worsop, founder and director of Football for Future, about how the world's most popular sport can become a powerful platform for climate adaptation and communication. Elliot shares how his organization is engaging clubs, players, governing bodies, and fans while expanding the football climate conversation beyond sustainability and emissions. Doug and Elliot discuss Football for Future's Pitches in Peril report, which examines climate risks facing 2026 FIFA World Cup host cities and stadiums across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, including extreme heat, flooding, risks to players and fans, adaptation funding, and how major sporting events can leave behind a resilience legacy. They also explore whether global sporting events can help unlock new sources of funding for resilience. Elliot argues that "politics follows culture," leading to a broader conversation about adaptation's communications challenge and what the resilience community can learn from football about storytelling, influence, marketing, and reaching audiences far beyond the traditional climate space.

Transcript for this episode.

FIFA World Cup

Links in this episode:

https://footballforfuture.org/pitchesinperil

The Future of Adaptation Funds in Global Sport

https://afddf8e8-2dfc-4526-9ba6-71e1899413f3.filesusr.com/ugd/e9e304_a61ef14e0fdf41ddb6961067f737089d.pdf

Key Themes Covered in This Episode

The World's Most Popular Sport Meets Climate Change
The 2026 World Cup as a Climate Stress Test
Football's Role in Climate Communication
Funding Climate Adaptation Through Sport
Extreme Heat and the Future of Outdoor Sports
Reaching Billions Through Culture and Storytelling
Creating a Resilience Legacy Beyond the Tournament

For Educators & Students
Climate Change and the World's Most Popular Sport
The 2026 FIFA World Cup as a Climate Stress Test
Extreme Heat, Stadium Resilience, and Athlete Safety
Adaptation Finance and New Funding Models
Climate Communication Beyond Traditional Audiences
Why Politics Follows Culture
Using Sports to Make Climate Adaptation Visible and Relevant

Who Should Listen to This Episode

Anyone curious about how climate change is affecting the world's most popular sport
Climate adaptation and resilience professionals
Sports executives, sustainability managers, and event organizers
Climate communicators, journalists, and storytellers
Students and educators interested in adaptation and public engagement
Funders exploring new approaches to climate resilience
Fans wondering what climate change means for the future of football

Support for America Adapts helps make episodes like this possible, including more international conversations on how adaptation is unfolding globally. All donations are now tax deductible!

Check out the America Adapts Media Kit here!

Subscribe to the America Adapts newsletter here.

Listen to America Adapts on your favorite app here!

Facebook, Linkedin and Bluesky:
https://www.facebook.com/americaadapts/
https://bsky.app/profile/americaadapts.bsky.social
https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-parsons-america-adapts/

Doug Parsons and Speaking Opportunities:
If you are interested in having Doug speak at corporate and conference events, sharing his unique, expert perspective on adaptation in an entertaining and informative way,

Now on Spotify !

List of Previous Guests on America Adapts

Follow/listen to podcast on Apple Podcasts.

The 10 Best Sustainability Podcasts for Environmental Business Leaders
https://us.anteagroup.com/news-events/blog/10-best-sustainability-podcasts-environmental-business-leaders

For more information on this podcast, visit the website at http://www.americaadapts.org and don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Podcast Music produce by Richard Haitz Productions
Write a review on Apple Podcasts !
America Adapts on Facebook!
Join the America Adapts Facebook Community Group.
Check us out, we're also on YouTube!
Subscribe to America Adapts on Apple Podcasts
Doug can be contacted at americaadapts @ g mail . com

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(260)

Extreme Heat, Beavers, and Rethinking How We Tell the Climate Story — with PBS's Miles O'Brien

In episode 260 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons talks with veteran science journalist Miles O'Brien, host of the new PBS series Resolve to Solve with Miles O'Brien. Doug and Miles explore how ...

8 Sep 40min

Summer Grab Bag: No, Disasters Aren't "Natural" + Microinfrastructure, Heat and Adaptation Lessons from the Global South

In episode 259 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons brings together two conversations for an end-of-summer adaptation grab bag. First, Doug talks with Anita Van Breda of World Wildlife Fund about w...

24 Aug 28min

Beyond Adaptation Plans: Measuring Success in the Next Era of Federal Climate Adaptation

In episode 258 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons speaks with Dr. Bryan Hubbell, Senior Fellow at Resources for the Future and former EPA research leader, about how climate adaptation can move fr...

3 Aug 42min

Extreme Heat: The Deadliest Climate Hazard Is Also the Most Invisible with Dr. Ladd Keith

In episode 257 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons speaks with Dr. Ladd Keith, associate professor of planning at the University of Arizona and one of the world's leading experts on extreme heat a...

20 Jul 37min

The Greatest Story Never Told: Making Climate Adaptation Visible

In this special episode of America Adapts (256), host Doug Parsons brings together leading voices from journalism, filmmaking, philanthropy, research, and climate practice to explore one of the bigge...

6 Jul 1h 35min

Meet the Adapters: Conversations from the National Adaptation Forum

In episode 254 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons heads to the National Adaptation Forum to meet some of the people shaping the future of climate adaptation. With help from guest interviewers ...

8 Jun 1h 9min

The FOMO Problem: Why Climate Adaptation Still Isn't Scaling with Shalini Vajjhala

In episode 253 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons speaks with Dr. Shalini Vajjhala , Executive Director of The Pre-Collective, about why climate adaptation still struggles to scale and whether t...

19 Mai 51min