Fans of Formula One (F1) auto racing have a lot to say about the sport. It’s global. It’s intense. It’s thrilling. Critics have their fair share of opinions, too. It's noisy. It's expensive. It pollutes. Dozens of drivers putting pedal to the metal for 90 minutes straight burns gallons of high-octane fuel as they push for speeds over 200 miles per hour. It isn’t exactly a recipe for sustainability. F1 officials were aware of the image of their sport as bad for the environment. They pledged in 2018 to reach “net zero” carbon emissions by 2030. This month, they announced the sport is racing ahead of schedule. “Departments across the sport have worked together to remove almost 80,000 tCO₂e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) from operations over the last eight years — the equivalent of a single person flying over 500 million kilometres,” F1 said in a written statement. Carbon in the air is a major reason for climate change. In total, F1 has cut its carbon emissions by 35% since 2018, according to a third-party climate impact monitor. The drop includes switching to lower-emissions fuels for its racecars. But that is only a tiny fraction of the story. Less than 1% of F1’s yearly 168,720 tCO₂e output comes from the races themselves. Far more is generated by the process of shipping the cars from race to race (37%) and travel for F1 racing teams (36%). F1 also produces a lot of carbon building the parts for its cars (14%) and powering all the events during a race weekend (13%). Most of F1’s carbon-cutting so far results from switching from air to sea transport for the cars. It has also adjusted the schedule to reduce overall travel mileage. It offset some of its own emissions by investing in environmental projects elsewhere. The projects include tree planting and awareness campaigns. Reflect: What's one thing in the world you want to see changed, even if it takes years to get there? Gif of F1 racecar courtesy @FormulaSantander on GIPHY.
