From Climate Risk to Social Resilience: What “A Well‑Adapted UK” Means for Sport, Health and Continued Participation for All

04 June 2026

This article is written by Ellen Salter, Director of Sustainability at Think Beyond. Ellen is a sustainability specialist working across the sports sector, advising governing bodies, leagues and global organisations on climate risk, adaptation and resilience. Her work focuses on translating sustainability strategy into practical, socially inclusive action, ensuring that climate responses in sport protect participation, health and long-term social value. Ellen is a Chartered Environmentalist and has supported organisations including World Athletics, the Premier League, and the R&A.

The Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) A Well-Adapted UK report, released in May 2026, marks a pivotal moment in how climate change should be understood in the sport sector. At the BASIS conference this week, the CCC gave one central message: the UK is already experiencing more frequent heatwaves, flooding and water stress, and is not yet adequately prepared for these worsening conditions.

For sport, this is not simply an infrastructure issue. It is a question of justice – who can participate, who stays safe, and who is left behind. Looking ahead, sport must play a key role in reducing both exposure and vulnerability to climate risk.  

At Think Beyond, this is a shift we are seeing first hand. Across our work with federations, leagues, brands and venue operators, climate conversations are increasingly moving beyond mitigation to resilience and justice, and what these mean in practice for participation and long-term social value.  

In 2026, our work has included sport-agnostic climate transition plans (international federations, brands, and venue operators), a climate resilience toolkit for a national sports league, preparation and audit approval of climate-financial disclosures, climate adaptation training, and a first-of-its kind climate justice project.  
 

What does the Well Adapted report mean for sport? Here are our 5 key takeaways: 

1. Sport is a frontline system for health and wellbeing 

The report makes clear that climate risks are most acute in three areas: heat (including wildfires) flooding (and extreme winds) and water availability (including drought).  

For the sport and physical activity sector, these risks directly impact public health and social resilience:   

• Extreme heat reduces safe participation windows and increases the risk of heat illness (affecting mental and physical wellbeing and productivity) 

• Flooding disrupts facilities, grassroots leagues and community programmes 

• Poorer air quality and climate stressors reduce outdoor activity levels 

Put simply, when parks become too hot, or facilities repeatedly close due to weather disruption, physical activity becomes harder to access, particularly for vulnerable communities. Sport is therefore a critical public health asset that must remain functional under changing climate conditions. 

2. Adaptation is a justice issue, not just a technical one 

Climate impacts are not experienced equally and without targeted action, they will deepen existing inequalities and vulnerabilities.  

In sport, this plays out in distinct ways: 

• Grassroots vs elite divide: elite venues have the resources to adapt, grassroots facilities often cannot 

• Geographic inequality: flood-prone or heat-exposed areas face recurring disruption 

• Socio-economic barriers: Rising costs of facility maintenance, cooling and resilience measures are often passed to participants 

This point was reinforced by Emma Pinchbeck, CEO of the CCC, at the BASIS conference. She highlighted that while exposure to risks such as overheating or flooding is often linked to higher vulnerability, it is not a reliable proxy on its own. Understanding vulnerability requires careful assessment and meaningful stakeholder engagement. 

In short, adaptation decisions are fundamentally justice-led decisions. They determine who continues to benefit from sport and who does not. 

3. Practical climate solutions exist and must be adapted for sport infrastructure, with social value at its heart   

The report reiterates that solutions are already available and cost-effective. The challenge is scaling delivery.  

Sport organisations can play a key role in embedding fair, inclusive and equitable health and social value outcomes directly into adaptation planning. This includes: 

•  Inclusive stakeholder engagement, particularly of vulnerable and marginalised communities 

• Designing for safe and inclusive participation 

• Introducing climate-resilient protocols for fixtures, operations and events

Adaptation measures must be considered across the whole lifecycle, anticipating extreme weather and climate events, withstanding their impacts, and bouncing back. 

4. From resilience to social value: a new role for sport 

One of the most important takeaways of the report is that adaptation should not be treated as just asset protection. Instead, it should be seen as an opportunity to deliver and measure broader social outcomes: 

• Protecting health and wellbeing by sustaining safe physical activity 

• Strengthening community resilience through accessible, climate-ready spaces 

• Reducing inequality by prioritising vulnerable communities and locations  

5. The strategic shift: questions sport leaders must now answer 

A well-adapted UK is achievable but only if sectors move rapidly from planning to socially inclusive implementation.   

For sport, adaptation and mitigation measures are not only about keeping facilities open. They are about protecting the role of sport as a driver of health, wellbeing and social justice. Those organisations that act early will not only reduce risk, they will also help ensure that sport remains accessible, inclusive and safe in a rapidly changing climate. 

For sport organisations, governing bodies and venue operators, this translates into a set of critical strategic questions: 

Health and safety:  

• Are our venues and programmes safe to operate in sustained periods of extreme heat? 

• Do we have clear thresholds and protocols for cancelling or adapting activity? 

• Are we embedding health and social value into climate adaptation outcomes? 

Infrastructure and investment: 

• Are we renovating or designing new facilities for the climate of 2030–2050, or for the past? 

• How are we integrating flood and wind resilience, heat adaptation, and water efficiency into planning? 

Access and inclusion:  

• Which communities are most likely to lose access to sport or be increasingly marginalised due to climate stress and how are we prioritising them? 

• Do we have contingency plans that protect both elite and grassroots sport? 

• Are adaptation investments and funding or grant giving reinforcing or reducing existing inequalities? 

If you’d like support with socially inclusive climate resilience and climate justice, the Think Beyond team would be pleased to support.  

Image credits: Well-Adapted UK Report – The Fourth Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk