CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS article
Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Sport, Leisure, Tourism, and Events
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1642492
This article is part of the Research TopicEnvironment, Embodiment, and Emotions: The Role of Sport in Promoting Climate ActionView all articles
Issues by design? A practical framework to foster climate action through Sport for Development and Peace
Provisionally accepted
Alessio Norrito1*
Yvanna Todorova2- 1Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
- 2Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
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The climate crisis necessitates innovative approaches to foster ecological emotions and motivate pro-environmental action, particularly among young people. This conceptual paper explores how the Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) sector can more effectively address this challenge by drawing insights from game design theories. We propose the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics (MDA) framework, as a heuristic tool for intentionally designing SDP interventions. By starting with desired ecological emotions (Aesthetics), practitioners can shape play-based interactions (Dynamics) through carefully chosen rules and resources (Mechanics). This approach aims to cultivate deeper environmental empathy and encourage climate action by structuring embodied experiences within SDP. We theorize and explain how SDP can be designed to be an imaginative space of learning. In doing so, the paper addresses a significant necessity of implementing SDP initiatives that foster climate action. Finally, we encourage researchers to cross disciplinary boundaries and adopt theoretical imagination in addressing rapidly evolving social challenges.
Keywords: sport for development and peace, climate action, game design, ecological emotions, Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics
Received: 06 Jun 2025; Accepted: 04 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Norrito and Todorova. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Alessio Norrito, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
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