The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) has released its 2025 Carbon Footprint Report.
What’s new in this year’s report
The UIAA began producing annual Carbon Footprint Reports in 2018. The 2025 report is the most detailed the UIAA has produced. Key changes include:
- Wider travel coverage. All Office travel, except the daily commute, is now included. Previous reports evaluated only airplane travel and assumed direct flights. Detailed travel data is now collected and reported.
- Mountain Safety Symposium speakers have been added to GA-related travel. All international speakers had a second or even third role at the General Assembly (GA), so no extra emissions were created.
- A new graph tracks the UIAA Carbon Footprint against its goals and the 2018 baseline.
- A new section sets out the measures taken to avoid and/or reduce the UIAA’s footprint.
Overall Carbon Footprint for 2025
The report records a total emissions of 577.56 tonnes of CO2, up from the 2018 baseline of 365.56 tonnes. That is an increase of 57.99%.
The rise is chiefly attributed to a record-breaking UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour, the biggest in over five years:
- 5 World Cup events across 3 continents (Asia, Europe and North America)
- 1 Youth World Championship, held in North America for the first time and attended by 23 young athletes
- 229 registered athletes from 24 member federations, a 40% increase on the previous season
For comparison, 2023 featured four global-level UIAA Ice Climbing events, in South Korea, France, Switzerland and Finland, with 180 athletes taking part in at least one. The 2018 season was similar in layout to 2025, with five World Cups, one Youth World Championship and 232 athletes. The biggest difference is geography: events in 2018 took place on only two continents, compared with three in 2025, which minimised airplane travel for athletes, officials and UIAA Office staff. More athletes also competed in more events in 2025, so the average athlete travelled more internationally.
The report also notes an assumption that may have inflated the figures. Because the first two UIAA Ice Climbing World Cups were not held on back-to-back weekends, it was assumed that athletes travelled to South Korea and back home before heading to Switzerland. This may not have been the case for some, which would mean the footprint was spiked unnecessarily.
Other factors contributed as well. The 50th anniversary of the UIAA Safety Commission brought a larger plenary meeting with more attendees and guests than in previous years. The 2025 GA in Peja, Kosovo, drew 120 people, compared with 92 at the 2023 GA in Trabzon, Türkiye.
Impact on targets
The UIAA Climate Change Taskforce acknowledges that, despite ongoing efforts, reaching the existing S4CA greenhouse gas emission targets will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, both for the UIAA internally and for its member federations.
To address this, the Taskforce carried out an internal stock take, which was communicated to member federations at the UIAA Climate Action Summit on 31 October 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal. A report from this event is to follow. It includes a renewed commitment to avoid, reduce and compensate climate impacts, and outlines new actions the UIAA will focus on in the years ahead.
Measures taken to reduce the footprint
The report highlights several steps taken in 2025:
- The UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour was organised in continental clusters.
- The UIAA Anti-Doping Commission and team attend competitions and carry out in-competition testing at events in Europe, to limit costs and travel impact.
- The UIAA Management Board “Spring” meeting was held in Bern, Switzerland, so all UIAA Office staff could attend with close to zero emissions.
- UIAA Commissions are encouraged to hold annual in-person meetings alongside the GA or the MB “Spring” meeting, so Presidents, and some other delegates, do not travel to two locations. Apart from the UIAA Mountain Protection and Safety Commissions, all others did so or organised meetings online.
- A number of UIAA Office staff travelled to the GA in Kosovo by road/rail rather than by flying.
Climate action advocacy
Climate action is a topic at every UIAA Management Board meeting and at every GA. The annual Climate Change Summit addressed GA delegates in Peja, Kosovo, and delegates of the UIAA Mountain Protection Commission attended the International Mountain Conference in Innsbruck, Austria, to advocate for climate action, among other issues.
