Jamaican born former England international footballer Raheem Sterling, is among 40 elite sportsmen and women involved in the launch of a new global campaign for climate adaptation fightback.

This will feature at next month’s United Nations Climate Change (COP30) conference summit in Brazil

Sterling who has played in two FIFA men’s World Cup has been joined by the likes of NBA player Deandre Jordan, Brazilian women’s soccer player Tamires Dias, Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira, Romanian Olympic swimmer David Popovici to support Adapt2win.

With climate change already impacting elite sport, the Adapt2win global multimedia campaign launched on Monday, urges governments to prioritize and fund investment in climate adaptation, ahead of the summit.

Forty athletes have signed an open letter while a hard-hitting film showing the dramatic impact of floods and fires on sports venues will be aired at the event.

According to Sterling who has played 82 times for England, it is personal and he has seen how climate change is reshaping life across the Caribbean.

He said through his foundation’s work on mosquito-borne disease prevention, he has seen how simple, community-led solutions can make a huge difference.

According to campaign organizers, climate-related disasters caused $417 billion in economic losses in 2024, yet less than 10% of global climate finance is directed toward adaptation.