‘No SEA Games on a Burning Planet’: A Capstone Project Inspired by How Sport Events Are Affected by Climate Change in Southeast Asia
Bangkok, Thailand
Matt Yutthaworakool, Executive Director of JALAN Civic Lab, participated in the Capstone Project Presentation as part of the Creative Climate Fellowship (CCF) Graduation Ceremony, presenting his climate advocacy campaign No SEA Games on a Burning Planet.
The Creative Climate Fellowship is an international programme that supports practitioners working at the intersection of climate justice, creative communication, and public engagement, equipping fellows with strategic, narrative, and design tools to translate complex climate risks into accessible and action-oriented campaigns.
Capstone Project: No SEA Games on a Burning Planet
Matt’s capstone project, No SEA Games on a Burning Planet, responds to the growing but often overlooked reality that climate change is already disrupting Southeast Asia’s largest sporting event, the SEA Games. From extreme heat and PM2.5 air pollution to flooding, storms, and infrastructure risks, climate impacts increasingly threaten athletes, fans, and host communities across the region.
Rather than positioning climate change as an abstract environmental issue, the project reframes it through sports culture, asking a simple but urgent question: Can the Games continue on a rapidly warming planet? The campaign’s core message — “Games Win or Climate Loses” — highlights the trade-offs between business-as-usual mega-events and the need for climate-resilient, people-centred sporting futures.
From Awareness to Action
Designed as a multimedia and participatory campaign, the project combines research, storytelling, and digital tools to support behaviour change and civic engagement. Key outputs include:
A briefing paper on sports and climate change in Southeast Asia
An interactive project microsite (no-seagames.org)
A Climate Impact Map and Game-Day Carbon Calculator
A Climate MVP Pledge Kit for athletes and fans
A public letter template addressed to SEA Games organisers
A coordinated social media toolkit and campaign hashtags
The launch of the Southeast Asia Sports for Climate Action (SEASCA)
Reflections from the Fellowship
Presenting the capstone at the graduation ceremony marked an important moment of reflection for Matt. The fellowship strengthened his ability to combine creative communication with climate advocacy, sharpened his strategic and systems thinking, and expanded his capacity to mobilise public engagement across digital platforms.
More broadly, the experience deepened his role as a climate communicator, translating risk into narrative, urgency into action, and regional identity into collective responsibility values that strongly align with JALAN Civic Lab’s mission to advance people-centred climate and governance solutions in Southeast Asia.
Looking Ahead
Following the fellowship, No SEA Games on a Burning Planet will continue to evolve as a public education and advocacy platform, supporting conversations on climate-safe sports, sustainable mega-events, and regional collaboration. The project also lays the groundwork for long-term engagement through SEAS-CAN, connecting athletes, civil society organisations, researchers, and fans across Southeast Asia.
🔗 Learn more about Matt’s capstone project at no-seagames.org
🔗 Learn more about the Creative Climate Fellowship at creativeclimatefellows.org
If you are interested in future thinking across civic, climate, digital, and data democracy, JALAN Civic Lab welcomes collaboration. 📩 Contact us: jalanciviclab@gmail.com
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