Climate Change and Adolescent Girls’ Sports: A Scoping Review and Framework-Based Exploration of Emerging Barriers and Recommendations

Climate change poses growing challenges to youth sports participation, but adolescent girls face disproportionate and compounding vulnerabilities. These arise from sex-specific physiological factors, sociocultural constraints, and institutional inequities that uniquely and disproportionately impact girls. These challenges are especially concerning considering the numerous health and well-being benefits of sports participation. However, there is a notable lack of research examining the specific impacts of climate change on adolescent girls' sports participation, as well as evidence-informed strategies to mitigate these effects. The aim of this study is to (1) conduct a scoping review to better understand the impacts of climate change on adolescent girls' sports participation and (2) examine the relationship between climate change and adolescent girls' involvement in sports by integrating Ecologism and the Individual × Environment (I×E) frameworks. A search was conducted using four databases (PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus and Web of Science), and a gray literature search was performed on Google. The search was limited to studies focusing on how climate change or weather variables impacted adolescent girls' physical activity levels or sports participation. Studies must have been written in English, and all geographical regions were included. In total, 26 studies met the inclusion criteria. These findings were then analyzed by integrating Ecologism, which promotes sustainable infrastructure, and the Individual × Environment (I×E) framework, which highlights interventions tailored to individual and environmental interaction. Recommended strategies include climate-resilient facility design, equity-focused funding models, participatory research, and coordinated efforts from public health units and urban planning stakeholders. By integrating these frameworks, the paper proposes a comprehensive set of interventions that address both systemic ecological challenges and individual-level barriers, aiming to foster climate-resilient sports environments for adolescent girls.