Madeleine Orr pulls back the curtain on climate change’s devastating impacts on sport, and offers a bold and optimistic way forward through an era of emergency.

Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year

“There Couldn’t be a bolder, more forthright SOS for sport” The Observer

Madeleine Orr pulls the curtain back on climate change’s devastating impacts on sport, and offers a bold and optimistic way forward through an era of emergency.


The world of sport has a new opponent: climate change.

In recent years, a world championship marathon was held at midnight to avoid the blistering sun. Professional athletes needed oxygen tanks to play during wildfire season in California. Players collapsed and play was suspended amid the heat and bushfire smoke at the Australian Tennis open. Ski resorts in the Alps have turned into ghost towns. Golf courses are sinking into the sea. And then there’s the Qatar World Cup, among the greatest follies in sporting history, one that saw hundreds (perhaps thousands) of heat-induced deaths before a ball was even kicked.

The threat climate change poses to sport is clear, but with billions of participants and fans around the world who rely on the sector for entertainment, jobs, fitness and health, this is one industry we can’t afford to lose. In this book, Madeleine Orr shows it doesn’t have to be this way. There are ways to mitigate, and perhaps counter, even the worst elements of climate change.

A world-leading sport ecologist, Madeleine interviews athletes, coaches, politicians and thought-leaders to learn more about the inevitable consequences for this trillion-dollar industry. From the frontlines of climate change, Warming Up takes readers through a play-by-play of how global warming is already impacting sport, and how the sports world can fight back.

"There couldn't be a bolder, more forthright SOS for sport." - The Observer

"Plenty of solutions are suggested in Warming Up… Orr brings their stories to life with aplomb." - The Financial Times

"Warming Up is more than a wake-up call. It’s a passionate reminder of the threat that a changing climate presents to the sports we love, and the power those sports hold to help address the problem. Orr harnesses the power of sports stories by telling them with the heart of a fan and the head of an industry-leading expert." - Dan Murphy, ESPN

"A powerful wake-up call, alongside clear-sighed solutions. A must-read whether you’re helping out at your local club or running Fifa." - The Guardian

"An essential showcase of how the climate crisis has changed sport forever. Informed, unflinching and irresistible, Madeleine Orr has hit a home run." - Kit Chapman, author of Racing Green

"Global warming's effect on sports is not the greatest consequence of this crisis--but as this account makes very clear, for those of us who've taken great pleasure in moving through this beautiful world with as much speed or grace or endurance as we can muster, it's a perfect symbol of our folly." - Bill McKibben, author The End of Nature

"The evidence is overwhelming ... climate change is changing sport. A timely overview of how sporting activity at any level, and therefore our health, is being affected [and] action that everyone involved in sport should heed." - The Guardian

"An authoritative but incredibly human account of why sport’s relationship with, impacts on and from the environment is such an important part of the conversation in sport and wider society… Essential reading whether you work in sport, are a fan of sport or care about the environment." - Dave Lockwood, Editorial Sustainability Lead at BBC Sport

"A timely publication. Orr showcases captivating stories from sports around the world that are facing environmental challenges and finding ways to adapt accordingly… this book gives me hope that the world of sport is collectively warming up to the idea that things have to change." - The Conversation