Data Sheet 1_Sport for development sector and climate change adaption in Zambia—theories of strategic choice.pdf

The World Economic Forum Annual Report 2023–2024 warned of the devastating impact that climate change will have on human health by 2025, claiming that 14.5 million deaths by 2050 are likely to occur because of weather-induced catastrophes such as droughts, floods, extreme heat, heatwaves, wildfires, and tropical storms. Regions of the world, whether in the Global North or Global South, are experiencing different, if not multiple, forms of these climate-driven events. In the Global South, home to many sport-for-development non-governmental organisations (SDP NGOs), community actors are responding to the call for environmental stewardship. The El Nino-induced drought in Zambia has destabilised the operation of SDP NGOs as organisations and participants experience water shortages, erratic electricity supply, and limited engagement time with participants. This study purposed to advance environmental research among some of Zambia's SDP sector actors by demonstrating their engagement in national climate adaptation programmes. The study explored how the SDP sector is responding to environmental matters such as the prolonged drought in Southern Africa and its implications on the operations of the SDP sector. Drawing upon John Child and Richard Whittington's theories of strategic choice, the study analysed the structural constraints and agency of SDP NGOs regarding climate education and practical adaptations to external forces. This study utilised a survey questionnaire which was administered among SDP actors and semi-structured interviews with purposively selected SDP actors to highlight organisational responses to climate change impacts. Using a realist lens, this study examined how agency and structure interact through SDP actions. The study reveals that SDP actors have responded through climate adaptation actions in efforts to transform their context amid the harsh local realities of climate change. It further reveals that SDP NGOs’ climate education continue to be constrained by environment and economic determinants.