FIM – Ride Green!

Dear FIM Family,

It is a pleasure for me to address you on this occasion on a subject that has a high priority on my agenda as President of the FIM. One of my most important commitments is the sustainability of motorcycling. It is in this spirit that we have agreed with UN Environment to support one of their largest and most widely recognised campaigns on the occasion of World Environment Day, as it will help us to come close to our community with a shared objective: to raise awareness and call for concerted action on this very important day, when we join forces to create awareness in all sectors of activity, not only for one day but in a lasting way.

For more than a decade, the FIM has been working with United Nations Environment to promote activities in line with the theme selected each year, and inviting our national federations and organisers to join these campaigns which are enthusiastically supported by our environmental ambassadors.

This year the theme is of great importance as it is one of the greatest environmental challenges we face. The theme of “air pollution” is a controversial one within our Federation given that the majority of motorcycles that are currently in circulation are propelled by engines burning fossil fuels which generate gases that contribute to global warming. But this pollution comes not only from internal combustion engines. There are many other forms of air pollution generated by a host of facilities and activities such as kitchens, factories, electric light, heating, air conditioning, fires, wildfires, the burning of waste, etc.

The good news is that this is a very special age. It is an age of transition. For 25 years now, work has been going on to bring about an innovation around alternative energies and efficient and less polluting engines. We are convinced that one of the pillars of the edifice that is the sustainability of our sport is alternative energies from cleaner sources. Two years ago, events with electric motorcycles were introduced in Trial and this year, for the first time, we shall be launching a championship for fully electric motorcycles using energies from sustainable sources, alternating with the events of the FIM MotoGP World Championship. This type of competition is something that goes beyond entertainment. We are fully convinced that they can serve as a laboratory for the industry and also as a shop window for the consumer who uses a motorcycle as a means of transport on a daily basis. By contributing to this transition to alternative energies, we can all make a huge difference that will help to create societies with low carbon emissions and low carbon economies.

As the FIM family in the widest sense, we can do a great deal to contribute towards the reduction of air pollution. Simple actions such as saving energy, using public transport, and rationalising the use of heating and air conditioning systems, all add up to a significant impact.

I am inviting you to be a part of this transition, and to celebrate World Environment Day with us this 5 June by organising sustainable events and incorporating environmentally sound actions into our events and our day-to-day lives. Happy World Environment Day!

Ride Green

Jorge Viegas FIM President