David Pocock says people who criticised him for being outspoken about non-sporting issues increased his motivation to pursue his passions away from rugby.
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Pocock, now an independent federal senator after playing 78 Tests for Australia, won the inaugural BBC green sport award on Wednesday for his "cool down initiative".
The former ACT Brumbies flanker refused to tow the athlete line during his career, regularly speaking about climate change and other issues close to his heart.
It led him down a post-playing pathway to politics, and he said he thrived off the fear of criticism, and it motivated him to keep up his rugby standards.
"As soon as you start talking about something outside of your sport, you open yourself up to criticism," Pocock said.
"In some ways, it was pretty motivating. You're like: If I'm going to be talking about this I've got to be delivering on the rugby field."
Pocock was shortlisted for the green sport award among a host of other sporting figures.
The new initiative led by the British TV giant aims to acknowledge athletes who have raised awareness and encouraged action on environmental issues over the past 12 months.
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Pocock, who retired in October 2020, beat four other athletes including Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins and received his award due to his hard work with the creation of the cool down initiative.
Pocock launched the initiative last year and emphasises the importance of climate alongside sport in Australia.
The cool down website states that climate change is "threatening the sports and country we love" and calls for added reductions than current government targets. This includes halved emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050, a slight improvement on the Albanese government's 43% reduction by 2030.
After recruiting more than 400 Australian athletes, Pocock crafted a letter with the signatures of other athletes to be sent to Government officials last year.
In the current day, anyone can join the cool down movement at thecooldown.com.au.
"You don't have to be a climate scientist to want climate action and to be actually moving in the right direction and building a future that's liveable for our kids," Pocock said.
"The reality is this is a big problem that none of us want, but we all have to be part of the solutions."
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