Beth Mead, a forward for the English national team, reflects on her experience at the Euro 2025 tournament in Switzerland where the heat was unbearable, with temperatures soaring above 30C (86F). The England team had taken extensive measures to prepare for the extreme conditions, including ice vests, hydration breaks, and cryotherapy. However, no amount of planning could mitigate the impact of climate change on the game.
As Mead notes, the tempo of the game slowed down, recovery took longer, and every sprint and tackle came with a cost due to the heat. This was not just an issue for athletes but also for the fans, as matches were being cancelled or postponed due to extreme weather conditions. The situation is already affecting football in many ways, from the infrastructure to the playing field itself.
Mead emphasizes that adaptation is critical for all of us, especially when it comes to climate change. She has joined a global campaign called Adapt2Win, which aims to bring together athletes and world leaders to advocate for investment in climate adaptation. The campaign's message is clear: we must adapt to the changing climate, not just mitigate its effects.
The argument that adapting to climate change means diverting resources away from reducing emissions is false. In fact, investing in adaptation can help drive progress by protecting lives and communities. As Mead puts it, "adaptation saves lives and drives progress."
For athletes like Mead, the key to success is adaptability. When the odds are stacked against you, as they often are with climate change, there's only one way to win: to adapt. This mindset must be applied globally, starting with world leaders.
As the COP30 meeting in Brazil brings together global leaders to shape the next decade of climate action, Mead is hopeful for a turning point. The moment has arrived to invest in solutions that will help people everywhere to adapt to the changing climate now.
As Mead notes, the tempo of the game slowed down, recovery took longer, and every sprint and tackle came with a cost due to the heat. This was not just an issue for athletes but also for the fans, as matches were being cancelled or postponed due to extreme weather conditions. The situation is already affecting football in many ways, from the infrastructure to the playing field itself.
Mead emphasizes that adaptation is critical for all of us, especially when it comes to climate change. She has joined a global campaign called Adapt2Win, which aims to bring together athletes and world leaders to advocate for investment in climate adaptation. The campaign's message is clear: we must adapt to the changing climate, not just mitigate its effects.
The argument that adapting to climate change means diverting resources away from reducing emissions is false. In fact, investing in adaptation can help drive progress by protecting lives and communities. As Mead puts it, "adaptation saves lives and drives progress."
For athletes like Mead, the key to success is adaptability. When the odds are stacked against you, as they often are with climate change, there's only one way to win: to adapt. This mindset must be applied globally, starting with world leaders.
As the COP30 meeting in Brazil brings together global leaders to shape the next decade of climate action, Mead is hopeful for a turning point. The moment has arrived to invest in solutions that will help people everywhere to adapt to the changing climate now.
. I mean, no amount of prep can really prepare you for playing in heat like that. It's not just about the athletes, either - think about all the fans who were left in the dark because of these cancellations 
. As someone who's always been passionate about sports, it's crazy to me how something as simple as a game can be so impacted by climate change. The thing is, though, Mead makes some really solid points about adaptation being key 
. I mean, what if instead of just focusing on reducing emissions, we were actually investing in solutions that help people adapt? It's not a zero-sum game, right? We don't have to choose between saving lives and driving progress - we can do both 
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! I feel bad for the England team and all the athletes who played in those extreme conditions. It's crazy how even with all the planning, no one could fully prepare for the impact of climate change on the game 
. I think it's so cool that Beth Mead is joining forces with world leaders to bring about change 
. It's a great reminder that even the toughest challenges can be overcome if we work together and stay adaptable 
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30C+ heat at Euro 2025 was insane... I mean, you can plan all day but its like your body is like "nah, we good" 
and then you're paying for it afterwards 
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. Climate change is real folks, no debate about that 
. It's not just about the athletes, it's about our infrastructure too... I mean have you seen some of those stadiums in Europe? They're like ancient ruins 
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. And investing in adaptation doesn't mean stopping progress 
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), I know how hard it is to adapt... but it's all about resilience and teamwork 
. Fingers crossed for COP30, let's make some progress 
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I'm all for athletes like Beth Mead speaking out on this issue, but at the end of the day, its up to world leaders to make some real changes. We can't just keep talking about it, we gotta put our money where our mouth is 
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. I mean, no amount of planning can prepare you for extreme temperatures like those! It's not just the players who are suffering, but also the fans and the infrastructure. We need to invest in climate adaptation ASAP 
! I love Beth Mead's message - it's all about adapting to the changing climate, not just mitigating its effects 
and it's crazy how much it affected the game 
️. I mean, no matter how much planning goes into things, nature just doesn't care about our schedules 
. It's time for us to start adapting instead of just trying to mitigate the effects of climate change 
. And honestly, it's not just athletes who are struggling - think about all those fans who were stuck at home during matches because they were too hot outside 
. Investing in adaptation is key, and we need world leaders to step up now 
According to NASA, global temperatures have risen by 1.2C since 1880, and it's projected to reach 3.2C by 2100. We gotta take Mead's words serious tho - adaptation is key 
. And btw, did u know that 80% of the world's population will experience extreme heat by 2050? 
. Let's hope world leaders take action now 
! 
. It's crazy how extreme weather conditions can affect not just the players, but also the fans and even the infrastructure of the games 
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! The England team had some sick gear tho - ice vests and cryotherapy? That's like being in a sci-fi movie 
. Let's make some noise at COP30 and invest in solutions that'll help us adapt to climate change ASAP 
as a fan i was literally worried about our team's safety during those matches 
we need more ppl like her advocating for change now 
? The thing is, we all knew this was coming - climate change and all that jazz... but are we actually doing anything about it? I'm not saying we should just give up, but come on, can't we find a way to make sports more sustainable or something? 
Beth Mead's campaign Adapt2Win is a good start, but we need more people on board. It's time for world leaders to step up and invest in climate adaptation 
. But seriously, climate change is no joke 
. We gotta invest in solutions that help ppl adapt to climate change 
. It's time for world leaders to step up & make a change 
!
. It's all about being proactive and protecting our communities 
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