This T20 World Cup will be one of the hottest in history
Sponsored by Saudi oil giant, Aramco
The final will be held in Barbados on 29th June 2024, and these climate stripes reveal the temperature change on the island since 1855.
Every nation at this year’s event is experiencing record high rising temperatures
As cricket expands its presence around the world, it brings more people into our game, a great thing for participant’s mental & physical health, communication skills, teamwork and more. Behind the players is a wide range of volunteers and organisations, many of whom are implementing sustainable policies for the next generations.
The downside of cricket expansion at international level is the increase in long distance travel with the inevitable greenhouse gas emissions. Every country at this year’s tournament is experiencing warmer temperatures since cricket was established over a century ago, as evidenced by their climate stripes below. North, south, east or west, the story is the same as shown in this year’s four competing groups.
It's also useful to see climate stripes for the nine venues, noting that some teams will travel thousands of miles just to play their early-stage matches. For example, Sri Lanka play in New York, Texas, Florida, and St. Lucia, some 4,000 miles (6,300 kilometers) of travelling between venues; Bangladesh play in Texas, New York, St. Vincent, and St. Vincent; and The Netherlands play in Texas, New York, St. Vincent, and St. Lucia.
Source for ‘Climate Stripes’ graphics and lead scientist: Ed Hawkins, National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Reading., National Centre for Atmospheric Science, UoR. https://showyourstripes.info/
The West Indies is on the frontline
The groundbreaking 'Hit for Six' report dedicated two full pages to the West Indies double plight of rising sea levels combined with increasing intensities of hurricanes. Liam Sebastian, the Windward Islands cricketer, reflected on how Hurricane Maria in 2017 impacted players lives outside of cricket. “The facilities were damaged - a lot. Some playing fields are no longer of use at this stage because of soil erosion, water damage. There are some back up and running where we can play cricket. There is cricket going on but it’s not on a large scale. Some players migrated because they suffered damage to their house - it was difficult and it has impacted every aspect of life.”
It also highlighted coral bleaching and the negative impact this has on fish stocks that are reliant on vibrant reefs. The death of coral reefs is particularly relevant in the Caribbean Sea as they protect the low-lying shoreline from waves and storms, but bleaching means the reefs erode.
Separately and ominously for the Caribbean Sea, on 23rd May 2024, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration issued a warning of an above-normal hurricane season this year due to human caused change. And the map below shows recent Atlantic ocean temperatures, credit to Michael Lowry, Meteorologist at the Storm Surge Unit of the National Hurricane Center.
Please don’t abandon the co-host after the tournament
This 2024 World Cup is being co-hosted by the United States and the West Indies. The United States, one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gasses, is already experiencing the consequences of climate change. The other host is the United States, one of the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, and it is already experiencing the consequences of manmade climate change. This includes record high temperatures, wildfires affecting people’s health and livelihoods, and some insurers are not offering new policies for fire cover. The East coast has always been in the path of hurricanes, but now there is increased coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, which in turn is affecting people’s ability to buy flood insurance.
The West Indies do not have the same wealth as their co-host, and they suffer out of proportion to what they emit. This tournament ends on 29th June, and attention will then focus on the next one in India and Sri Lanka, also heavily featured in the ‘Hit for Six’ report. But the West Indies will be facing critical challenges ahead. We hope the International Cricket Council will not forget one of their most important members, and we urge them to do more to stop greenhouse gas emissions from cricket competitions before the West Indies suffers irreparable damage.
The Next Test is in need of volunteers.
Do you have skills that could help us? If so, please get in touch.
