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COP 28: Desert Vipers captain Munro bats for environmental initiatives

The New Zealand cricketer, who will play in UAE's IPL-style franchise league, says the conditions are getting worse for athletes due to climate change

Published: Wed 1 Nov 2023, 2:18 PM

Updated: Wed 1 Nov 2023, 3:57 PM

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  • Team KT

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Colin Munro of the Desert Vipers at the Dubai International Stadium. — Supplied photo

Colin Munro of the Desert Vipers at the Dubai International Stadium. — Supplied photo

New Zealand cricketer Colin Munro believes cricket has been impacted heavily by the effects of climate change and he is a strong advocate of the Desert Vipers environmental initiatives.

Munro, who will be leading the Desert Vipers team in the second season of the DP World Cup ILT20, the UAE's IPL-style franchise league, says the conditions are getting worse for athletes due to global warming.


“One thing I have noticed over my time involved in the game is that it does seem to be getting hotter on a regular basis. I can tell you, playing in very high temperatures is no fun at all," the New Zealand all-rounder said.

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Munro recalled a one-day international match between India and New Zealand in Mumbai where the hot and humid conditions made it extremely difficult for the visiting team to compete with the hosts.

“I remember in a one-day International in Mumbai and I went off in the 34th over and changed my shirt and longs because they were saturated," he said.

"By the time the 50 overs were up my spare pants and shirt that I had put on were saturated as well, so I had to go out and bat in wet clothes and it was not fun at all, facing Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar!

Ben Hardy-Jones, Desert Vipers Sustainability Manager, opened up on the steps taken by Vipers to negate the threat of climate change.

"As a sports franchise, the Desert Vipers have already shown our commitment to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by signing up to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, meaning that we must reduce our emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2040," said Ben Hardy-Jones.

"We want to go further however, and we have shown our commitment by having a stretch target of reducing our emissions by 50% by 2028."

The Vipers initiative highlights the agenda for sustainable development in the UAE which will be hosting the COP 28 — the United Nations Climate Change Conference — later this month.

Munro says it's important for every organisation to show more responsibility and take all necessary steps to fight global warming.

“I think the work the Vipers are doing to highlight this issue is incredibly important because there is no doubt in my mind that the world is heating up and we have got a duty to try and stop that process," he said.

“Some of you might be saying “Why?” and I guess I just look at my own children and I want to leave the world a better place for them and their children.

"And sorting out this issue of climate change is just one way we can try and do that.”



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