Integration of climate action and sustainability in sport and exercise science higher education degrees

Climate action and sustainability are pre-eminent concerns in our local and global communities, requiring urgent action across all countries and sectors to avert fast approaching tipping points for human and planetary survival. Sport and Exercise Science (SES) is a fast-evolving discipline with expanding areas of professional practice and hence, growing influence, in both sport and health arenas. Consolidating our position as a leading, trustworthy discipline requires the preparation of graduates with expertise and skills in addressing climate and sustainability-related challenges, where both sport and health are significantly contributing to, and being impacted by, climate change. Increasingly, high profile athletes and sporting organisations are taking a more proactive climate stance advocating for change within, and beyond sport. The emergence of sport as a growing voice in this field has great potential given sports’ unmatched ability to reach into every corner of the globe, where opportunities for more formal scientific and political influence is minimal. Health is similarly experienced as a benevolent presence in most communities, meaning sport and exercise scientists are uniquely placed to powerfully influence climate action in both domains. This chapter will discuss the transformative change required in SES educational curricula, to develop climate leadership among our graduates.