The climate crisis is being debated and confronted by different industries and parts of the world. On September 24, people in Brussels took to the streets to urge climate change action five weeks before the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. “Everyone is talking about making promises, but nobody keeps promises,” one protestor said.
The reality is that’s true, many companies have acknowledged the risks they face from climate change and have promised to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, but they have not made time-bound commitments. In a 2018 report that looked at the performance of over 600 publicly traded US companies, sustainability advocacy group Ceres found that 64% of companies said they would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but only 36% had set deadlines to do so. Of course, there are industries committed to the cause, and some even have the potential to reduce the effects of climate change, but some individuals may find these industries surprising.
Sports
Over the last few years, the sports industry in the United Kingdom has implemented several environmentally friendly initiatives. Sport is a lively part of the UK’s identity, but climate change is devastating athletics. For instance, golf courses in Scotland are at risk of disappearing due to rising sea levels, and cricket pitches in England are flooding with increased rainfall. Football/soccer matches are also being canceled due to rising temperatures.
Climate change, which research predicts will set a record between 2021 and 2025, might be interrupting sports in the United Kingdom, but, fortunately, many high-profile clubs have started to take action. For instance, Marylebone Cricket Club has introduced several sustainability measures, such as using electric buggies to help eliminate pollution. Most recently, Tottenham Hotspur partnered with Sky to host the first net-zero carbon football/soccer game. The aim was to be net-zero carbon, which is achieved when most emissions are reduced, and the remainder is offset through natural projects.
Casinos
Another unlikely industry that can help reduce the severity of the climate crisis is the gambling industry, and there are two ways of looking at this. First is how online gambling, which has skyrocketed in popularity over the last decade, reduces some of the biggest factors contributing to climate change, such as greenhouse gases.
When gamblers travel to land-based casinos to play games like blackjack, poker, or roulette, they are accountable for a percentage of the greenhouse gas emissions being discharged into the environment. Online casinos, however, stop these emissions as players do not need to travel to physical locations and can play games from their devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Similarly, by not building as many land-based casinos, further greenhouse gas emissions are stopped. Admittedly, online platforms require technical infrastructures and computer services to function, but when compared to traditional land-based establishments, the energy consumption by online casinos is trivial.
The second way of looking at this industry’s efforts to fight climate change is in the long-term preparations being made. The traditional casino industry has been fighting climate change for a while. Over the last twenty years, it has become evident that there are dozens of environmental side effects that cities like Las Vegas are experiencing due to their 24-hour casino culture, which has caused many organizations to change their approach. MGM Resorts International is a great example of this.
MGM Resorts, a global entertainment company that also owns BetMGM, an online platform that offers players some of the best no deposit casino bonuses available, has installed solar panels on the top of their conference centers and casinos. Moreover, the company plans to reduce its emissions by 45% per square foot by 2025, which is why MGM recently launched a 100-megawatt solar array in Nevada covering 65 million square feet and delivering roughly 90% of daytime power to over a dozen Las Vegas resorts.
MGM’s plan is clear. Firstly, the company is making sure its physical casinos have environmentally-friendly technologies like solar panels included. Second, the company is making sure BetMGM, its online casino platform, offers attractive deals like $25 free no deposit bonuses so that emissions-conscious gamblers have another option to play games for real money. Both of these moves positively impact the environment, and companies that follow a similar business model will further demonstrate how even the casino industry can help climate change.
It is fair to assume climate change has reached its boiling point. Just recently, US President Joe Biden called for an international effort to fight the climate crisis, warning: “We don’t have a lot of time.” Climate change is impacting different world businesses every day, but, fortunately, many industries have started to realize that they play a role in fighting it, and there are big and small contributions they can make to slow down the impacts. Even better, many of these industries are unexpected, including sports and gambling.