Sport versus climate: Introducing the climate vulnerability of sport organizations framework

TLDR

Climate change poses a growing threat to the sport industry, especially outdoor and winter sports. The study introduces a conceptual framework to help practitioners assess the climate vulnerability of sport organizations. The CVSO framework maps potential impact against organizational climate capacity, yielding four vulnerability quadrants—Problem, Redundant, Responsive, and Fortified—by integrating concepts of climate vulnerability, exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Using the CVSO framework helps organizations gauge the resources needed to manage climate risks, underscoring that all sport entities must identify and prepare for their specific vulnerabilities.

Abstract

Climate change presents a significant and growing challenge to the sport industry, especially outdoor and winter sports. The authors present a conceptual framework that elucidates the varying states of climate vulnerability a sport organization may face, so practitioners may better understand the risks of climate change. The authors developed the Climate Vulnerability of Sport Organizations (CVSO) framework by building on—and linking—concepts of climate vulnerability, exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity in the context of sport organizations. By placing potential impact on one axis and organizational climate capacity on the other, the authors present four quadrants representing four types of climate vulnerability: the Problem State, the Redundant State, the Responsive State, and the Fortified State. Positioning organizations within the CVSO framework facilitates a better understanding of the effort and resources needed to address climate-related risks. Though not all sport organizations will be equally impacted by climate change, all must be prepared to identify the risks to their organizations.