The UCI's 2024 carbon footprint rose 11% to 9,251 tonnes of CO₂e, driven almost entirely by the return of long-haul travel after a year of consolidation.
The latest sustainability report links the rebound squarely to Scope 3 travel – indirect greenhouse gas emissions from travel the organisation does not control directly. The return to separate World Championships and increased logistics around the Paris Olympics reversed the gains from 2023's consolidated World Championships in Scotland, when combined events in a single location significantly reduced air travel.
Despite the spike, emissions remain 15% below 2019 levels, exposing a widening gap between the UCI’s 2030 climate targets and the calendar realities of a global sport. Gains at headquarters – including rooftop solar supplying 30% of electricity and continued cuts to single-use waste – were overtaken by indirect travel emissions.
At event level, Zurich’s 2024 Road and Para-Road Worlds delivered strong local measures – 79% of spectators using sustainable transport, 100% renewable power and full reusable tableware – but the report acknowledges that venue-side success cannot counter the emissions embedded in international movement of teams, equipment and fans.
A five-year snapshot of emissions in UCI cycling events. Credit: UCI
What changes from 2028
From 2028, sustainability stops being optional. World Championships and World Cups will only be awarded to hosts that meet mandatory environmental criteria, with legacy and post-event evaluations becoming standard requirements. Sustainability will also begin to be incorporated into team and event licensing, backed by a sport-wide questionnaire in 2026 to establish baselines across organisers, teams and national federations.
The Professional Cycling Climate Action Working Group – launched in late 2024 – has already produced its first recommendations, approved by the Professional Cycling Council in September 2025, signalling future shifts in travel policies and reporting expectations.
Climate risk management is also being formalised inside competition rules. The High Temperature Protocol, introduced for the 2024 season, applies a five-stage Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature model to trigger earlier starts, additional cooling measures or, in extreme cases, neutralisation and cancellation.
Accountability and scrutiny
The implications for organisers and teams are clear: compliance will demand more planning, data and verification, and events that fall short may lose bidding opportunities.
The challenge ahead is as much about data as discipline. While the UCI's 2024 footprint was independently verified by One Carbon World, the published figures offer limited breakdown of transport modes or travel patterns - detail that organisers and teams will need if they're expected to meet the same standards from 2028.
Ultimately, the report reinforces cycling’s central dilemma: cutting travel-related emissions without breaking the structure of a sport that depends on global mobility. The next few seasons will reveal whether the UCI can turn policy into practice – and whether its targets can survive its calendar.
Cover picture credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
