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Climate change is threatening penguins 鈥撀爐he Pittsburgh Penguins.

A new report from the National Hockey League documents global warming鈥檚 impacts on even the neighborhood ice rink 鈥撀燼 concern for an organization that depends on future pools of skating talent. The report, released Monday, is the most extensive sustainability report ever produced by a US sports league, according to the NHL.

Hockey isn't the only sport pursuing sustainability, though. Athletic events around the world 鈥� from the World Cup to the Olympics 鈥� have been trying to tackle pollution and cut energy use for years. Environmental groups work聽with sporting leagues like Major League Baseball and the National Football League to track environmental impact and set reductions goals. As games become even grander displays, with bigger screens and brighter lights, leagues are trying to rein in ballooning energy demands and the emissions that come with it. 聽

Energy and climate concerns hit particularly close to home in hockey, given the sport鈥檚 dominance in chilly climates and its reliance on available water. It鈥檚 why climate change and water scarcity pose 鈥渕ajor environmental challenges鈥� for hockey, the NHL said in its inaugural sustainability report Monday.

鈥淲e have a vested interest in this cause,鈥� NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Monday in a letter accompanying the report. 鈥淎s a business, we rely on freshwater to make our ice, on energy to fuel our operations and on healthy communities for our athletes, employees and fans to live, work and play.鈥�

To confront the issue, the NHL and Natural Resources Defense Council, a New York-based environmental organization, collaborated on the document, which outlines the league鈥檚 environmental impacts and charts its goals. The report even estimates the NHL鈥檚 total carbon footprint: 530,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases each year. That鈥檚 comparable to the yearly emissions from 111,000 cars, according to the EPA鈥檚 emissions calculator.

But environmental progress in sports has been mixed, and sustainability efforts have sometimes fallen by the wayside 鈥� like in Brazil, where Olympic organizers are far from meeting environmental goals in advance of Rio de Janeiro鈥檚 2016 summer games.

The NHL鈥檚 report differs from past efforts in several respects, though.

First, the NHL鈥檚 report provides comprehensive baseline emissions estimates. Those numbers serve as a yardstick for future progress, according to Jonathan Casper, a professor at North Carolina State University who studies environmental sustainability and sports.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e looking at real metrics and the overall league impact,鈥� Mr. Casper says in a telephone interview Tuesday, noting that the NHL tabulated its 530,000 metric tons of annual greenhouse emissions. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the real breakthrough with this report.鈥�

Builders and teams have also begun to think more about sustainability while planning new sporting venues, according to Stephanie Katsaros, principal and sustainability strategist at Chicago-based environmental consulting firm BrightBeat.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot easier to look at energy efficiency when you're starting from scratch,鈥� Ms. Katsaros says in a telephone interview Tuesday.

Casper said the NHL also touts its green credentials because the issue helps endear the league to fans, cementing its status as a good community-member. 鈥淭he green platform is a nice, safe platform because there are very few people that are against environmental sustainability,鈥� Casper says.

Sustainability is also increasingly attractive in economic terms 鈥� regardless of its appeal in the league鈥檚 marketing materials.

鈥淭here is a value proposition in sustainability," Katsaros says. "You聽use less energy, you鈥檙e paying for less energy.鈥�

And the impact of 鈥済oing green鈥� for a sports team is magnified by all the fans who might follow suit. 聽鈥淭o positively influence a fan base, a group of like-minded individuals, and inspire them to change in your venue and their lives 鈥� you're exponentially growing the impact of your efforts,鈥� Katsaros says.