The Desert Vipers have announced climate-financing specialists Vuelta Carbon as their Official Carbon Markets Supplier – with the goal of investing in climate action and offsetting 100 percent of the team’s emissions in Season 4 of the DP World ILT20.
Vuelta Carbon’s work in climate began over two decades ago, evolving from climate science to supporting direct action. They help individuals and corporates invest in green projects. Carbon markets offer the Net in Net Zero and the opportunity to tackle residual emissions, playing a significant role in protecting the planet.
The Desert Vipers have already succeeded in reducing their emissions by 19.5 percent when compared with Season 1, as was announced in the recent People and Planet Report.
This partnership with Vuelta Carbon will help further the franchise’s sustainability agenda by offsetting the entirety of emissions from Season 4.
To achieve this, the Desert Vipers will support projects across the UAE, India, and Saudi Arabia which offer technological and nature-based solutions to help reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and prevent the future release of greenhouse gases.
The Desert Vipers have previously invested in willow trees to offset emissions. The trees served a dual purpose, of capturing carbon while also ensuring a supply of cricket bats for the future generation.
This partnership with Vuelta Carbon will also help Desert Vipers on their mission of achieving Net Zero by 2040. Net Zero is a mandatory commitment for the Vipers as Dubai’s first signatory to the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework.
(To achieve Net Zero the team will need to achieve at least a 90 percent reduction in emissions, and the remaining 10 percent emissions can be offset through credits.)
Matt Bailey, Head of Strategy for the Desert Vipers, said: “We are delighted to partner with Vuelta Carbon as our Official Carbon Markets Supplier. We have been working hard to reduce our emissions, but we also recognise the need to use our platform to make positive strides at the same time and capture greenhouse gases that have already been released.
“By supporting a range of projects in cricket-playing nations, we hope to show how cricket can be a driving force in finding solutions that benefit people and planet.”
Lee Bostock, Co-Founder at Vuelta Carbon, added: “We are pleased to partner with the Desert Vipers as their Official Carbon Markets Supplier. Sustainability runs deeply through the franchise’s values, and their commitment to meaningful climate action sets an example for the sports community and beyond.
“At Vuelta Carbon, we look forward to supporting Desert Vipers on their journey, helping them reduce and remove emissions while inspiring fans, partners, and other organisations to accelerate their own pathways to a more sustainable future.”
This latest green collaboration comes ahead of the Desert Vipers’ annual Sustainability Match on December the 14th, where the franchise will once again calculate the carbon footprint of the match.
The Vipers are also tracking their entire season and are in fact the only cricket franchise to publicly declare their annual carbon footprint, having done so since the very first season of the DP World ILT20.
This transparency in carbon footprint reporting has laid the foundation for the team to understand how much offsetting is required.
The Desert Vipers take on the Dubai Capitals in their Sustainability Match on December the 14th, starting at 6:30 pm.
