Rory McIlroy has accepted the DP World Tour's decision to launch a player travel emissions tracker. In an effort to reduce members' carbon footprint, the tracker will allow stars to track and calculate the distance they travel during a season.
The tour says it wants to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and McIlroy himself has previously advocated for the cause.
The current schedule includes more than 40 tournaments in 24 different countries, with top players also traveling further afield to compete in PGA Tour events and major championships.
McIlroy, 35, has reportedly been working to reduce his greenhouse gas emissions since 2020, when tournaments were allowed to go ahead despite the coronavirus pandemic. Now he has voiced his support for the plan, suggesting all players have a responsibility to care about the environment.
“We have the opportunity to travel the world and do work we love,” he said. “But I do realize that it has an impact on the environment. I think we can all play our part in some way.”
He is not the only DP World Tour member to support the initiative. Spanish golfer Rafael Cabrera-Bello has also vowed to be a role model for the sport's rising stars and urged other senior pros to follow suit.
“I’m joining the Tour’s initiative because I think it’s the right thing to do,” said the 40-year-old. “We are role models for a lot of the younger generation, so you always want to lead by example.”
The project, called “The Platform,” will go live when the DP World Tour season begins in November 2025. The trackers were created by the tour's IT department with support from the GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation.
Organizers have previously said their goal is to have 90% of players on the DP World Tour, Challenge Tour, Legends Tour and G4D Tour offset their tournament travel expenses by 2027. The DP Tour currently has more than 800 members.
Golf isn't the only sport to have publicly pledged to reduce carbon emissions. Formula One is currently laying out ambitious plans to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030, with the goal of reducing transportation and energy use in factories and at grand prix.
In football, FIFA said it aims to reduce emissions from its competitions as part of its climate strategy. The body has outlined plans to become carbon neutral by 2040.