Morten Thorsby has decided on a shirt swap and will sport the number 2 on his jersey this season. It is a number usually worn by defenders but the Norwegian midfielder playing for Sampdoria has other reasons. He wants to raise attention to the serious issue of global climate change.
And 2C is the long-term goal for the maximum temperature set by nations at the Paris Agreement, and Thorsby hopes that his shirt swap will raise awareness on the issue.
200 countries have pledged to keep the increase in global temperatures below 2C as global warming threatens to upend the planet’s delicate ecosystem. Thorsby says he has always struggled to find a purpose.
The Paris Agreement on climate change is legally binding and aims to keep global temperatures preferably down to an increase of 1.5C over the pre-industrial levels. And 2C is the absolute limit.
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Every country has to reach a peak in the emission of greenhouse gas emissions immediately if they are to succeed in their air of a climate-neutral world by the end of this century.
Shirt Swap To Raise Awareness On The Need To Limit Rising Temperatures To 2C
While he had strived to excel in football, the environmental crisis has always been at the back of his mind and he hopes the shirt swap will keep his fans and other players constantly aware of the need to get real about the impending climate change.
He has strived to keep on creating awareness on these vital issues while moving ahead with his professional commitments. He says that he needs to implement for a bigger purpose than his individual comments.
Other than his shirt swap, Thorsby has sought to involve the whole football community and make them aware of matters related to the environment. He has received backing from the football community. He says his shirt swap move was about creating awareness. He aims to get more people to join his initiative.
Thorsby begins the new season with Sampdoria in the Copa Italia with a match on Monday against Alessandria. He will be wearing the jersey he adopted after the shirt swap.