It’s been a rough summer for outdoor sports. July was the hottest month ever recorded in the contiguous U.S., and wildfire smoke has repeatedly reached unhealthy levels across large areas of the country.
Soccer players competing in the World Cup had to grapple with potentially dangerous heat and humidity, two ski areas suffered major damage from wildfires this summer, trout streams in the Rockies were closed to fishing in the afternoons due to warm water, and the list goes on. Many people who love the outdoors are left with choosing between not recreating at all or doing so in marginal conditions.
But athletes, fans, and outdoor enthusiasts can all be part of the solution. Outdoor recreation is a potentially powerful constituency – it engages millions of people across many age groups, demographics, and geographies. Outdoor recreation is also a substantial contributor to the U.S. economy, with a lot on the line as a warming climate threatens outdoor activities.
“I think there is a role for outdoor recreation to step up more, be more vocal,” said John Burrows, the energy and climate policy director of the Wyoming Outdoors Council. “I think it’s a really important constituency.”
Here are ideas for getting started.
1. Recognize that sports and recreation have more influence than you might think
Athletes, teams, and recreational organizations have a powerful tool that the fossil fuel industry lacks: popular goodwill. Participation in sports can be an important part of people’s identities, so a brand or a team can have an outsize impact compared to its size or financial might.
2. Don’t be afraid to share your climate values
Climate change is a polarizing topic, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t embrace it. “It’s OK to say something and have people disagree,” said Chris Miller, senior vice president of sustainability at Aspen One, which owns four ski areas.
“I get that it feels scary,” Miller said, “but being led by something real and authentic and rooted in values is an incredible competitive advantage.”
The clothing company Patagonia is known for its commitment to environmental activism.
“Why is Patagonia constantly mentioned as one of the most authentic brands in the world?” Miller asked. “It isn’t because they’re a jacket company. Because there are a lot of jacket companies.”
The middle of the road may feel safe, but having noncommittal values can do lasting damage to a brand’s reputation. Miller described recent high-profile examples of companies that backtracked on their support for diversity, equity, and inclusion, which angered customers on both sides of the political spectrum.
“When someone disagrees with your point of view, the most important thing is not to say, ‘Oh, whoops, we made a mistake, we didn’t really believe that,’” Miller said. “It’s to lean in and say why you believe it and why it’s important.”
“Have a bit of courage, stand for something. And people will respect you for it,” he added.
Read more: The ski industry is oddly quiet on climate change
3. Consider making climate an integral part of your team or brand’s identity
The Vermont Green soccer club in Burlington, Vermont, has made addressing climate change part of the team’s mission since its founding. The team promotes activism, social justice, and climate action at every game.
Read: A champion soccer team is taking on climate change, too
“We’re gonna not miss that. We’re not going to let that opportunity go to waste and just watch soccer,” said Patrick Infurna, a cofounder of the team.
At home matches, nonprofit organizations set up tables and educate fans about actions they can take. Halftime includes a 15-minute talk about pressing issues in front of sold-out crowds, Infurna said.
Infurna said that the team’s stance on climate has helped it become more popular.
“You might find a whole new audience of people that are more attracted to your thing, your products, your event, because you are showing not just a compassionate approach to things, but maybe a backbone as well,” Infurna said. “We’ve been fortunate to have a pretty cool fan base, and we sell out all of our games.”
Vermont Green’s men’s team had an undefeated season in 2025 and won the national championships.
“We’re taking care of the planet, and we’re winning as we do it,” Infurna said.
4. Identify the ways that climate is affecting your sport
Outdoor sports are subject to all sorts of weather conditions, and you can use recent research and free tools to help identify the role of climate change.
After some extreme weather events, the researchers at World Weather Attribution rapidly analyze the influence of climate change on the event. For example, the group found that a heat wave that caused dozens of ski resorts to close in the Western U.S. in 2026 was virtually impossible without climate change.
Climate Central, a nonprofit research organization, offers several tools that can help you determine how climate change is affecting your sport, including a marathon tool that shows how warm race-day temperatures are slowing running performance, a database of billion-dollar climate disasters that adds up the costs in each state, and the Climate Shift Index, which shows how much the temperature in your area has been affected by climate change on a given day.
Meanwhile, NOAA’s Climate at a Glance tool makes it easy to look up temperatures, precipitation, drought, and other climate indicators over time. The data is available at the national, state, county, and city level and is easily customizable.
5. Leverage the economic impact of outdoor sports
Miller sees climate change as not just an environmental issue: “It’s an economic issue. It’s a jobs issue. It’s a tax issue,” he said.
In fact, outdoor recreation is a powerful economic engine, generating $1.3 trillion dollars in economic output in 2024.
You can make that case to elected officials using a dashboard that shows the economic impact of outdoor recreation in all 50 states, including jobs, wages, and the contribution to each state’s GDP. This tool was compiled by nonpartisan researchers at Headwaters Economics.
6. Participate in climate and energy policy
The Wyoming Outdoor Council works with groups around the state to address environmental challenges for public land, air quality, water quality, and wildlife.
“But in the last 10 years, the intersection with climate has just been so obvious,” said Burrows, the energy and climate policy director. “It impacts all these other things. And so I think that’s how we justify working on it, even in one of the most heavily dependent states on fossil fuels in the country.”
During the last legislative session, the group worked at the state level to push for plug-in solar, which allows households to shave 10 to 20% off their electricity bills.
Burrows offered this suggestion for individuals or groups working on climate solutions: “Narrow it down to a few things that you and your group, or you and your friends, or you and your sports team can really digest and are passionate about, and focus on that.”
“That’s how you’re going to make a meaningful impact,” he added.
7. Become a watchdog of your energy provider
Ski resorts, stadiums, and other outdoor recreation amenities need electricity. And you can influence the climate footprint of that electricity by getting involved with your public utility commission, which makes decisions about energy sources, power plants, energy prices, and more.
Public utility commissions offer regular opportunities for public input, including during the selection or election of commissioners. Canary Media wrote a beginner’s guide to public utility commissions, and Earthjustice has a detailed explainer that describes how and where action can make a difference.
8. Step up to the mic and give public comments
It’s not too often that you can speak your mind directly to policymakers, and opportunities to do so can be especially valuable. A powerful example of this is the relentless public pushback on data center proposals, which are often reviewed by county commissioners.
The Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School wrote a short guide for giving effective public comments. This is a great time to make use of what you learned from the fourth item in this list: Show the ways climate change is affecting your sport.
9. Coordinate with other teams and groups
Many sports have organizing bodies and networks of guides, coaches, or athletes. These groups can be useful for communicating to larger groups, pooling resources, and building coalitions. For example, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation published a Climate Action Plan for Member Federations, which outlines steps for getting started.
That said, many sports organizations position themselves in a safe, middle-of-the-road stance or nibble at the edges of climate policy with less controversial topics like access to public lands. For more assertive climate action, look for organizations that are unapologetically working to reduce fossil fuel development and burning, such as the Surfrider Foundation and Protect Our Winters.
Another option is to join nearby efforts to advance climate action. In many locations, you can find advocacy groups working to expand climate solutions and improve public policy. Joining an existing group is easier than trying to launch a new initiative from scratch.
“Look at groups that are doing that good work,” Burrows said, “and support them, however you can.”
10. Work to end fossil fuel sponsorships
Sponsorships of events, teams, and athletes can create a positive brand image and build consumer trust. Fossil fuel companies use sports sponsorships to boost their image – which has been termed “sportswashing” – even as the actions of these companies put athletes in jeopardy.
There are many efforts underway to remove fossil fuel advertising from sports teams and events, and this is an action that a team of any scale can tackle.
The Ski Fossil Free campaign is circulating a petition demanding sports organizing bodies publish a report that evaluates whether fossil fuel marketing is acceptable in organized winter sports. Over 25,000 people have signed the petition, and winter sports brands and organizations can sign up to join the campaign.
A similar effort is underway for soccer, prompted in part by Saudi Aramco’s sponsorship of the World Cup. A Dutch advocacy group is calling for Fossil Free Football.
Another group, called Cool Down, is advocating to end fossil fuel advertising across multiple sports and countries.
Most of all, show up
Burrows acknowledged it can be hard to know where to start with a new climate advocacy effort.
“I do think we kind of have this decision paralysis, like, ‘It’s too big of an issue. I don’t know how to even get started,’” he said. “We gotta get past that.”
Burrows advised new advocates to find an angle that they find especially motivating, and dig in to become a bit of an expert.
If only a small fraction of people did that, Burrows said, “I think it would really move the needle in good ways.”
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