In February 2021, FIFA announced that the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar – the country with the highest carbon emissions per capita in the world – would be the first ever ‘carbon neutral’ World Cup.
A statement from the federation read: “FIFA is fully aware that climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time and believes it requires each of us to take immediate and sustainable climate action.
“For the very first time, FIFA and the host country Qatar have pledged to deliver a fully carbon-neutral World Cup. A comprehensive set of initiatives have been implemented to mitigate the tournament-related emissions, including energy-efficient stadiums and green-building certification of their design, construction and operations, low-emission transportation, and sustainable waste management practices.”
David Goldblatt & Katie Rood join Shebahn Aherne to have football’s climate conversation about the World Cup in Qatar!
Since that promise was made, climate experts and analysts have scrutinised FIFA and Qatar’s ‘carbon-neutrality’. From the insistence that offsetting methods such as sowing the seeds for the largest turf farm in the world, to claiming only 3.6 million tonnes of carbon needed to be offset – with Mike Berners-Lee of Lancaster University saying that the actual figure was closer to 10 million – every detail of the World Cup’s ‘carbon-neutral’ claim has been put under the microscope.
In the first episode of 90min’s ‘The Climate Conversation’ podcast, host Shebahn Aherne and guests David Goldblatt – Football for Future’s Chief Advisor and writer of Playing Against The Clock, a report which provided the first provisional estimate of the impact of global sport on the climate – and Katie Rood – Hearts & New Zealand striker, trustee and on the board for Football for Future, and one of the most forward-thinking and vocal sustainability advocates in sport – took an in-depth look at the Qatar World Cup and FIFA’s climate claims.
Speaking about his initial thoughts of the World Cup’s carbon neutrality, Goldblatt stated:
“Qatar 2022 will still emit and enormous amount of carbon. “
– David Goldblatt
“On the one hand it’s really, really good news that FIFA and the Qataris are committed to the notion of carbon neutrality, that they’re prioritising the issue of climate and doing a bit of climate education around. Certainly compared to any World Cup that’s been held before the environmental policy, and the environmental ambition of Qatar 2022 is in a…
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