Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Pledgeball was founded in 2019 as a means of engaging the large proportion of individuals who demonstrate apathy and cognitive dissonance in the face of climate change, due to their sense of powerlessness in the face of such a seemingly overwhelming problem. 
Pledgeball began as a grassroots tournament organised by the Founder and members of her football team, the only entry requirement being to make a sustainable lifestyle pledge. Prizes were awarded for the winning team and the team that collectively pledged to save the most emissions. 
Pledgeball ultimately reduces GHG emissions by triggering large numbers of people to adopt sustainable behaviours and thinking. Besides reducing emissions directly through these behaviours, it also:
Feeds into structural change, through applying consumer pressure;
Will trigger a proportion of participants to take further action, such as campaigning, as research demonstrated that those who experienced Pledgeball were more likely to engage further;
Introduces conversations about climate change into spheres in which they previously did not exist, therefore further instigating action. This point was exemplified when Pledgeball launched with partners Bristol City FC: fans were discussing the launch and, consequently, climate change on a fan forum. 

Pledgeball draws upon existing and cutting-edge research as well as rigorous monitoring and evaluation to inform its strategy.

Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

Football transcends demographics, emotionally uniting people in the pursuit of one common goal. Pledgeball provides a mechanism that slots into the football routine, playing upon the competition inherent within the game, and encourages and supports any individual to advocate for climate action within this community. 
As partner researchers, Climate Outreach, state: to instigate change we need ‚ peer-to-peer engagement, credible messengers and messages that speak to underlying core values‚ . Pledgeball works under the theory that transformative change will not come about through outsiders promoting action, but rather through empowering individuals within all communities to advocate for change.

Consequently, Pledgeball works to engage advocates in all communities, supporting them through workshops and concrete resources, such as toolkits and online forums, to encourage their peers to support their team through pledging via the Pledgeball website.
These advocates are and will continue to be reached by a variety of means, including: 
Through partner networks, such as those of the Football Supporters‚ Association, which has representatives from socio-economically deprived areas and various specified groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community and women‚ fan groups; 
Engagement with specific fan groups who are united through a specific cause, such as tackling racism; 
Engagement with non-league clubs that are focal points in especially deprived or underrepresented communities, such as that of our pilot club Whitehawk FC; 
Through engagement with schools and youth groups as well as youth teams through partnerships such as that with Birmingham County FA, whose grassroots clubs have a season-long listing on the Pledgeball website allowing them to encourage their peers to pledge in association with the club, this being encouraged and supported strategically through awards, incentives and communications from Birmingham County FA.

Pledgeball‚ partnership with Spirit of Football will see ‚ The Ball‚ and thousands of replica balls travelling across various countries on the journey to the men‚ and women‚ world cups. The host locations will use The Ball, and the associated education and advocacy resources:
As a vehicle to drive climate action; 
To demonstrate the impact of climate change on the most affected communities around the world; 
To learn from climate action that is being taken across the world and to showcase this collective action and its impact. 

Organisations with expertise in football for climate action (Spirit of Football, Football for Future, Pledgeball) will be brought together with Football For Good (FFG) organisations, especially in the Global South, that have no experience in climate action. Other partners, like the GIZ in the Pacific, have vast experience in climate protection but have not yet used sport to mobilize communities. These perspectives and those of indigenous peoples will feed into our strategy. Backed up by R&D from Pledgeball, these resources can become an industry standard going forward towards Agenda 2030.

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