Rosberg: Motorsport Can Help Tackle Climate Change

Former Formula One champion Nico Rosberg has said that motorsport can help make positive changes in the fight to tackle climate change ahead of appearing at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow.

The German racing driver, who retired from F1 in 2016, now promotes green technology and sustainability as an eco-entrepreneur, as well as an investor in the electric Formula E championship, and a team owner in the off-road electric Extreme E series as well as a founder of Greentech Festival, reports Reuters.

“The mobility industry is an extremely big emitter at the moment. It’s a big problem and motorsports can play a role as always in shifting the industry in the right direction,” Rosberg said.

“If you have this race-to-road transfer of progress that’s perfect, that’s where motorsports has to be.”

Formula One is aiming to banish the fossil fuel-guzzling stereotypes it is known for, and is addressing its relevance to a world that has a focus on clean energy, and has set a target to be net zero-carbon by 2030, a ban on single-use plastics, and introducing 100 per cent sustainable fuels.

Williams, a team Rosberg once raced for, recently announced they had become the first in Formula One to sign the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework and pledged to be climate positive by 2030.

When asked how that worked with an expanding F1 calendar, with 23 races scheduled for the next year, Rosberg said that to have zero negative impact on the environment and the climate, then we need to live in caves.

“I’m of the opinion that it’s fine to go out there and continue doing what so many people around the world love watching, but make sure that it’s used for the benefit of everybody,” he said.

He said he hoped that by 2030, there will be synthetic fuels developed by both the aerospace and motorsports industries and that he believes there will be huge progress, leading to a true carbon neutral sport.

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