International Desk: Qatar pledged to host a carbon-neutral event when it signed up to host the World Cup in 2009. But then the prospect of neutralizing the carbon-dioxide emissions generated by hosting tens of thousands of spectators in newly built stadiums in the desert state seemed fanciful. This is now being proven.
In a report on greenhouse-gas statistics published last year, soccer’s governing body FIFA and Qatar’s organizers estimated the World Cup would emit 3.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Estimating carbon emissions from major sporting events is a relatively new practice and the theory is subject to change. However, this amount of emissions is more than the recent World Cup Olympics.
It may also be significantly underestimated. In May 2022, a 2022 report by Carbon Market Watch, a climate watchdog, found that emissions from stadiums failed to measure up accurately with government forecasts.
FIFA insists this approach is ‘best in practice’ as the vast majority (52 per cent) of emissions will come from tourists and players in Qatar, while less than 25 per cent will come from the stadium being built. Carbon Market Watch thinks such arguments are far-fetched.
Qatar has built seven new stadiums for the football World Cup. One of these, Stadium 974, is built entirely of shipping containers and modular steel and will be removed after the tournament. Other stadiums will remain.
FIFA and Qatar are at least committing to reducing their projected 3.6 million tonnes of emissions by buying carbon credits. To do this, Qatar established the Global Carbon Council (GCC), a dedicated carbon monitoring body. Beyond coordinating carbon emissions at the World Cup, the GCC will promote a path to a ‘low carbon future’.
Carbon emissions may seem insignificant compared to the world’s major sporting events. Even the Qatari event, Carbon Market Watch estimates, is 5 million tons, which is less than 0.2 percent of the world’s annual emissions.
But sports teams and organizations have made a big deal of their carbon-neutral credentials. Sports announced ambitious carbon emission reduction targets in the Framework for Climate Action (S4CA). Around 200 UN sports have signed the Climate Action Framework, including FIFA. This is a major initiative to help sports organizations reduce their carbon emissions.
However, 93 organizations, including the English Premier League, have signed the agreement, pledging to halve emissions by 2030 and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. However, FIFA did not participate in that commitment. This is probably because, by hosting the next World Cup in 2026, a joint effort between the US, Canada and Mexico, the tournament will generate 3.7 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide, more than Qatar’s government estimates. Source: The Economist
