Motorsport is often seen by outsiders as an environmentally unfriendly pastime – which is why, as the world increases its focus on environmental sustainability, and efforts to reduce carbon emissions take on greater importance, it is vital for the future of our sport that every participant contributes to this effort.

The UK has a net zero goal, and the first question people ask is what the emissions are generated by motorsport in the UK, and whether Motorsport UK is on track to reduce them? To help answer that, we have developed a Carbon Calculator that helps Motorsport UK clubs and events to measure these emissions – and it is important to understand why, and how, it can help both your club and the sport.

“ When you are not involved in sustainability, carbon calculations might not be the first thing that come to mind,” admits Jessica Runicles, Head of Sustainability at Motorsport UK.“ Sometimes, they can be hard to relate to, and our members may wonder why we need to ask these different questions about what they are doing at the event.

“ The need for global action is clear, and Motorsport UK and its members needs to understand what emissions are created as a sport to play our part. In the recent spending review, the government reinforced its dedication to emissions reduction as a country – and that is the building block of any sustainability work, because everything else is linked to it.

“ A lot of people make assumptions about motorsport emissions, so the Carbon Calculator allows us to generate real data and prioritise what can then be done to reduce the motorsport carbon footprint. Quite often, it turns out that motorsport is not creating as many emissions as people initially think – and being able to communicate that to external stakeholders is not only helpful, but also sometimes mandatory.”

Motorsport needs to share its environmental credentials

58

Revolution- August 2025