Document 8

Qatar 2022: New report critical of the WC's

environmental impact
22.06.2022 20:55 source: StadiumDB.com; author: Rafał Dadura
http://stadiumdb.com/news/2022/06/qatar_2022
The upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar was hailed as the most environmentally
friendly in history. Its organisers boasted that the World Cup will have net zero
emissions related to the carbon dioxide. A newly published report dispels these
hopes. The carbon footprint of the Qatari tournament could be even eight times
greater than expected!

The latest report leaves no doubt about emissions

Environmentally friendly solutions were to be one of the trademarks of the upcoming
event: climate-neutral technologies used for the construction of eight stadiums,
more than 90% of the materials utilised for their construction coming from recycled
sources, low energy consumption, and during the tournament - zero-emission public
transport for fans. At least that is how it was supposed to look according to the
promises of the Qatari organisers.

However, a report published by the non-governmental organisation Carbon Market

Watch paints a different picture. As it says: Claims that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will
not contribute additional carbon emissions to the atmosphere are completely
unrealistic. The data already available today show that, contrary to predictions, the
Qatari tournament’s climate impact will be unambiguously negative.

Problems are piling up

The energy-consuming maintenance of the stadiums after the event is also expected
to be a problem. The report points out that seven of the eight stadiums in Qatar are
being built from scratch specifically for the tournament and it’s difficult to imagine
how they will be used after 2022.

The Qataris bragged about green solutions, which were supposed to absorb carbon
dioxide, but these are also questionable. The natural turf in the stadiums, for
example, will have to be changed to artificial after the World Cup because of the very
high temperatures.

A spokesman for Qatar's 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy denied the
allegations, saying that: the World Cup in Qatar and efforts to make it climate
neutral should be appreciated, not criticised. He added that: the report is based on
speculation and the conclusions it presents are false.

It is worth noting that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is the first whose
organisers have committed to making it environmentally neutral. As the
Qataris emphasise, all of the World Cup matches will take place in a small area.
Because of that fans travelling between the stadiums will not have to use highly
emissive air transport, and there will be a whole fleet of electric buses to transfer
everyone.