Drive carbon reductions to survive
How F1 fell into my lap
For the past couple of years, the Netflix algorithm has unsuccessfully tried to push me into watching "Drive to Survive". The show covers everything happening in Formula 1, both on and off the track.
Formula 1 has benefited from the "Netflix Effect", with a massive increase in viewership and popularity since the show's release. In the US, 53% of fans say Drive to Survive played a role in them becoming fans and racing events viewing has been up by 39%.
All it took for me to start watching Formula 1 was a slightly hungover Sunday morning when my friends suggested we doze in front of the Silverstone Grand Prix. Expecting to be bored out of my mind, it turned out to be a nail-biter.
Rightfully so, my friends joked that watching Drive to Survive and cars go fast around a track burning fossil fuels was perfectly aligned with my values. Aside from the humour, it fuels the evergrowing and important debate of systemic or individual action.
Regardless of where you stand on that question, I'm inevitably providing ad revenue through viewership to a sport not exactly known for its environmental performance. That is why I thought the least I could do was research the impact of the sport and how it could decarbonize!
A sport fueling climate change
According to Formula 1, a racing season will emit 256,000 tCO2e, equivalent to the annual emissions of The Gambia. The emissions of the sport fall into 5 categories:
- Logistics (45%): All activities relating to transporting cars, tyres and other team equipment by road, air or sea. It doesn't help that for the 2022 season, 23 races are held in 21 countries all around the world.
- Business travel (27.7%): The transportation of F1 Teams and their hospitality requirements.
- Facilities & factories (19.3%): The emission of greenhouse gases within the manufacturing plants and offices owned by F1 teams.
- Event operations (7.3%): The impact of energy use, club activities and broadcasting throughout the races.
- Power unit emissions (0.7%): The emissions arising from the fuel consumed by racing cars throughout the season.
With the image of a "gas-guzzling" and "dirty" sport, Formula 1 is under serious pressure to demonstrate how they can be accepted in a global climate emergency.
Drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have been very vocal about the sport's environmental impact, with Vettel recently stating that climate change is making him question his role as a driver.
In 2019, Formula 1 took a stance and announced that the sport would be Net Zero carbon by 2030. This stance was met with scepticism about how emission reductions would be achieved.
In pole position to reduce emissions
I find it encouraging to see an increasing number of organizations setting ambitious climate targets. However, it's more important to scrutinize the decarbonization roadmaps and how targets can be reached.
In the case of Formula 1, the sport is focusing its climate strategy on:
- Improving the efficiency of engines, which currently recover 50% of energy from fuels, and procuring sustainable fuels. This season, racing cars use E10 fuel made by Saudi Aramco, which blends 90% of fossil fuel and 10% of ethanol. The target is to use 100% of sustainable fuels by 2026.
- Maximizing the efficiency of logistics and travel while favouring transportation methods with the lowest carbon intensity. The pandemic highlighted what is needed to reduce 73% of the sport's total emissions by centralising races in Europe and minimising attendance.
- Sourcing 100% renewable energy to power team facilities, factories, and events. The focus on racing days extends to ensuring better waste management practices (reuse, recycling or composting) and reducing the emissions associated with how fans get to a Grand Prix.
Ensuring that racing cars run on sustainable fuels is important, but we must remember that the fuel only accounts for 0.7% of the sport's emissions.
Additionally, biofuels are no silver bullet as, in some instances, they can displace agricultural production, lead to monocultures and contribute to deforestation.
The elephant in the room is the environmental impact of organizing a sports season all over the globe, requiring the movement of teams, equipment and fans every few weeks.
The BBC estimates that the emissions from fan travel, which are not accounting in Formula 1's emission assessment, amount to 1.9 million tCO2e. That's more than 7 times what F1 calculated for its emissions!
If the sport is serious about reducing its emissions, it should focus on reducing the number of races or ensuring that they are grouped throughout the year by geography.
Taking an example from the 2022 season, a race was organized in Miami between the Italian and Spanish Grand Prix. Tackling such inefficiencies might get in the way of commercial objectives but will be imperative if emissions reductions are to be achieved.
The road ahead
There is something quite ironic about the term sustainability. When you look at our economic systems and their resulting environmental impact, I'm not sure that sustaining what we currently do will get us out of the climate crisis.
It's understandable to be sceptical of Formula 1 announcing sustainability targets, and it is much needed to keep organizations accountable to prevent greenwashing.
If we are to achieve global decarbonization, high-emitting industries are the ones that should set bold climate targets as they will have the most significant emission reduction potential.
As a fellow environmentalist, I imagine how cringy it might be for you to imagine organizations such as Formula 1 and Saudi Aramco, the global oil giant responsible for over 4% of the world's historic carbon emissions, partnering to deliver sustainability solutions.
We all want to hear good news stories from leading brands such as Patagonia, as they constantly push for the highest environmental and social sustainability standards.
However, climate change mitigation efforts must involve the highest emitters in the world. As companies, NGOs and individuals, we can play a role in keeping them accountable.
I want to imagine a future in which Formula 1 is developing technologies to decarbonize the automotive sector and creating ripple effects of climate awareness as well as behavioural change for its global fan base. Some might call this naivety. I'll call it cautious optimism.
