Opinion: The UCI is failing on climate change that's why vague promises are all it can offer

A promising start from the world governing body, although pledges still feel a little weak

Tour de france caravan
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Just like Sepp Blatter’s admission that awarding the FIFA World Cup to Qatar was a mistake, the climate action charter that emerged from the UCI last week is a much welcome step, but also rather long-overdue. 

Blatter has had more than 10 years to admit that his and his cronies decision to permit Qatar to host the tournament was absurd, just like the UCI has had ample time to start to take on board professional cycling's shocking impact on the environment, and what it's going to do about it. 

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Tom Thewlis
News and Features Writer

After previously working in higher education, Tom joined Cycling Weekly in 2022 and hasn't looked back. He's been covering professional cycling ever since; reporting on the ground from some of the sport's biggest races and events, including the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix and the World Championships. His earliest memory of a bike race is watching the Tour on holiday in the early 2000's in the south of France - he even made it on to the podium in Pau afterwards. His favourite place that cycling has taken him is Montréal in Canada.