The first season of Extreme E left an important legacy not only for sporting excitement, but also for the main purpose of promoting plans for the ecosystem’s recovery and preservation at destinations hit by pollution and climate change.
In this sense, the competition presented the first sustainability report, which reflects a joint work with the Scientific Committee, NGO partners and local communities.
The first season of the electric off-road series resulted in a total of 8,870 tons of carbon emissions, for an average of 1,774 tons per race.
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To offset these figures, Extreme E invested on environmental certificates for a wind farm in Patagonia, Argentina, known as one of the windiest regions in the world, where 300 GWh of clean renewable electricity is supplied to the grid each year and 190,000 tons of GHG emissions are prevented from entering the atmosphere.
Mechanisms to Reduce Environmental Footprint
Among the methods used to reduce the environmental impact are electric vehicles, not having fans at the races, but encouraging us to follow the competition through digital platforms, and restoring the tournament’s official boat.
In addition, Extreme E applied the use of AFC Energy hydrogen fuel cells with solar energy and water to generate electricity to power the cars. It also powered the paddock operations with second-life Zenobe batteries and limited the race team staff to just seven people.
The championship also forged significant partnerships, such as Count Us In, to inspire fans to commit to living a less carbon-intensive lifestyle and reduce their individual environmental impact.
The Count Us In challenge inspired 1,231 Extreme E fans to make 3207 pledges. This equates to a carbon saving of 1,241,223 kg CO2e, which is equivalent to more than 1,200 flights from London to New York.
Contributions at visited destinations
Each race carried out by Extreme E left concrete advances in the territories visited. In Brazil, the company partnered with The Nature Conservancy on a forest restoration program in Pará. The initiative recovered 100 hectares of native forest, maintained more than 200 hectares of cocoa-based agroforestry and worked with local farmers in the process.
In Senegal, together with the NGO Oceanium, it committed to planting one million mangroves to help combat rising sea levels, and supported a local community project to improve sustainable practices and education in Niaga, a community near the race site.
In Greenland, a UNICEF climate change education program was developed and delivered to 3,600 schoolchildren, along with investment on solar panels and a community school electric mobility scheme.
In Sardinia, Italy, Extreme E worked to support the recovery response to devastating forest fires on the island, along with a seagrass conservation project to reverse carbon damage due to rising sea temperatures.
Legacy plan in Sardinia / Image: extreme-e.com
Saudi Arabia was another of the territories visited by the category, where a conservation initiative for the endangered green turtle and critically endangered hawksbill turtle was implemented. This program included the construction of beach fences, site management and monitoring practices, and the incorporation of sand to raise the bay to an appropriate level for nesting.
Finally, in the UK, it supported the National Trust to reintroduce three pairs of beavers to the Purbeck Heaths wetlands in Dorset, to help improve the biodiversity of the area. The beavers are expected to help open up hundreds of hectares of wetlands that have been in ecological decline for decades, restoring freshwater marshes and pool habitats for other wildlife. This will improve water quality and carbon storage, and reduce flood risk.
For Extreme E, this report details the hard road to having the lowest carbon footprint across international motorsport, with an outlook on how to become carbon neutral.
Written by I Jhonattan González
