About this episode

Doug Parsons interviews Elliot Arthur-Worsop about how football can address climate adaptation and communication challenges.

In episode 255 of America Adapts , host Doug Parsons speaks with Elliot Arthur-Worsop , founder and director of Football for Future, about how the world's most popular sport can become a powerful platform for climate adaptation and communication. Elliot shares how his organization is engaging clubs, players, governing bodies, and fans while expanding the football climate conversation beyond sustainability and emissions. Doug and Elliot discuss Football for Future's Pitches in Peril report, which examines climate risks facing 2026 FIFA World Cup host cities and stadiums across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, including extreme heat, flooding, risks to players and fans, adaptation funding, and how major sporting events can leave behind a resilience legacy. They also explore whether global sporting events can help unlock new sources of funding for resilience. Elliot argues that "politics follows culture," leading to a broader conversation about adaptation's communications challenge and what the resilience community can learn from football about storytelling, influence, marketing, and reaching audiences far beyond the traditional climate space. Transcript for this episode. FIFA…

People in this episode

Host: Doug Parsons

Guest: Elliot Arthur-Worsop

Topics covered

• climate adaptation
• football
• sports and climate change
• FIFA World Cup
• resilience funding
• storytelling in climate communication

Keywords

• climate change
• football
• adaptation
• FIFA World Cup
• resilience
• sustainability
• extreme heat
• flooding
• Pitches in Peril

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Football for Future

Places: United States, Canada, Mexico

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