Posted on July, 23 2024

PARIS, France (23 July 2024): The Olympics is all about pushing the limits of what humans can achieve and breaking new world records. On the eve of the Games, WWF’s powerful new campaign warns that the climate records the planet has recently been shattering aren’t ones we want to break. Record heat, nature loss and melting ice all signal a threat to our very survival.  

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, WWF Global Climate and Energy Lead, said: “At the Olympics, humans will show what incredible efforts can achieve. Now we need our leaders to show similar determination and resolve as these sporting champions, and put climate and nature on a path to recovery.” 

The campaign centres around a powerful new video, conceived and produced by the TRY creative agency and production specialists Aparent, both based in Norway, highlighting the unprecedented number of climate records that were broken in 2023. The film overlays sports commentary with gripping footage of extreme weather events to drive home our message: The world is breaking too many climate records. Together we can change the game.

2023 marked the hottest year on record, with countless national temperature and extreme weather records broken. Records highlighted include: the longest tropical cyclone on record in Mozambique, Greece facing the largest wildfires on record in the EU, and new heat records in France, China, Thailand, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Oman, Peru and more. And temperatures have remained high into 2024, with June 2024 being the 12th consecutive month of global temperature reaching 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

This campaign launches as researchers from the University of Portsmouth are warning that intense heat at the Paris Olympics could endanger athletes at the Games. The Rings of Fire report suggests that Paris has the potential to surpass the record temperatures athletes experienced in the last games in Tokyo.

WWF hopes that a similar spirit of determination, unity and endeavour, that is demonstrated so vividly at the Games, can help inspire leaders and people around the world to take the critical action needed to stabilise the climate and reverse nature loss.

“Changing the game is possible. We have the solutions, we just need to accelerate them. Last year, we saw record growth in renewable energy generation. We now need to see this record broken year-on-year, as well as new positive climate action milestones in areas such as energy efficiency, industry decarbonisation, nature conservation and restoration, building resilience to extreme weather, and climate finance for developing countries” said Pulgar-Vidal.

“Every government around the world is required to set out ambitious new national climate plans ahead of COP30 in Brazil next year. This is an unmissable opportunity for countries to commit to game changing climate and nature action. Our living planet requires nothing less than a gold medal effort.”

ENDS

For more information and interviews, contact:
Robin Harvey rharvey@wwfint.org 
Izrael Muhamad Imuhamed@wwfint.org 
Or news@wwfint.org