Ep. 19 - Extreme E and Creating Targeted Impact Through Racing and Research

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Episode Description

Extreme E is the first sport built out of concern for the climate crisis. The series’ goal is to use electric racing to highlight remote environments under threat of climate change issues, and to encourage us all to take positive action to protect our planet’s future.With 30 percent of the planet’s CO2 emissions coming from transport, Extreme E exists to showcase the performance of electric vehicles, using the powerful mix of thrilling sports action, scientific education and storytelling to accelerate their adoption in order to reduce CO2 emissions and achieve a more sustainable lifestyle. Catie Munnings, a Red Bull sponsored and driver for Andretti United, is not only leading the charge on the track, but also for sustainability and women in sport.

How Extreme E makes a difference

Extreme E is a signatory of the United Nations’ Sports for Climate Action Framework. The initiative, led by the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was born out of the 2015 Paris Agreement and calls on sporting organizations to acknowledge the contribution of the sports sector to climate change and their responsibility to strive towards climate neutrality for a safer planet.In line with the five core principles enshrined in the Framework and the aims of the Paris Agreement, Extreme E strives to promote greater environmental responsibility, reduce the overall climate impact from sport, use its platform for education, promote responsible and sustainable consumption, and advocate for climate action through communication.

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“I was in Greenland and we visited the ice sheet where we were taking samples of the black ice...when you look at it from the plane, it looks like the ice is starting to turn black. He (the scientist), thinks it is carbon from wildfires that have blown over from North America that have settled on the ice...so it showed me how interconnected the world is.”

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How you can make a difference.

Follow along with the Extreme E racing series and the research that they are doing around the world. By racing in these areas of need around the world, they are also conducting research that is guiding environmental policy and action. At the same time, it is also a really exciting racing series to watch!

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