Former Wallabies captain David Pocock is spearheading a call to arms as some of Australian sport's biggest stars team up to stop climate change in its tracks.
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More than 250 Australian athletes have put their names to the The Cool Down project, penning an open letter to Australia's leaders to address climate change by taking bold action to protect the nation's future.
The movement uses the power of sport to highlight the present threat of climate change, with Pocock concerned worsening extreme weather events will threaten Australia's way of life including sport at every level.
"The people and places we love, as well as the sports we love so much are threatened by climate change," Pocock said.
"We have the resources in our own backyard to be a world leader in this field and, as a sporting nation, we're used to performing on the world stage. It's time we harness that to focus on strong climate action.
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"The burning of fossil fuels is making extreme weather events worse and destroying environmental wonders like our own Great Barrier Reef. It's affecting sport and our way of life, and it's only going to get worse unless we commit ourselves to taking bold action now."
The likes of Australian cricket star Pat Cummins, State of Origin halfback Nathan Cleary and swimming's Campbell sisters have put their names to the project.
Also among the clan are AFL's Lance Franklin and Darcy Vescio, rugby players Matt Giteau and Dom Du Toit, Sydney Rooster Angus Crichton, and retired athletes such as surfer Mick Fanning, netball champion Liz Ellis, soccer's Craig Foster, ex-Wallaby Nick Cummins, cricket greats Ian Chappell and Shane Watson, and ex-F1 driver Mark Webber.
"As sportspeople, we recognise the role we play in our sports-loving country and supporting the generations of athletes to come after us. We have the opportunity to take action within our field and use our platform to accelerate the change we need to see," Ellis said.
"Not one major sporting organisation in Australia includes climate change in their annual reporting, and only a few of our codes have extreme weather policies. We see The Cool Down as our stake in the ground to spread this important message and do the crucial heavy lifting for the next decade."
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