Carbon Market Watch have released a new report outlining ‘misleading’ claims from the 2022 World Cup’s organisers.
In the lead-in to November’s World Cup in Qatar, FIFA and local organisers claimed that the 2022 edition would be the first-ever carbon-neutral World Cup tournament.
Organisers of the World Cup estimate the event will emit 3.6 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), more than some countries produce in a year. However, Carbon Market Watch’s analysis found that this did not accurately represent the tournament’s actual footprint.
The organisation, which scrutinises carbon markets and advocates for effective climate action, believes the calculations ignore major sources of emissions. It adds that the credits being purchased to offset emissions have a low level of environmental integrity, meaning they are unlikely to benefit the climate.
FIFA and Qatar have touted the 2022 showpiece as the first carbon-neutral World Cup in the international soccer tournament’s history. Organisers said this would be achieved in four phases: raising awareness, an inventory informing where emissions come from, carbon reduction, and carbon offsetting.
According to Carbon Market Watch, the goal will likely be achieved through ‘creative accounting’, rather than actually reaching a carbon footprint of net-zero.
The report added that the claim appears ‘far-fetched’ due to the underestimation of the emissions associated with the construction of permanent new stadiums that should be attributed to the tournament.
Carbon Market Watch’s Gilles Dufrasne, the author of the report, had the following to say in a statement.
“It would be great to see the climate impact of Fifa World Cups being drastically reduced, but the carbon neutrality claim that is being made is simply not credible.”
“Despite a lack of transparency, the evidence suggests that the emissions from this World Cup will be considerably higher than expected by the organisers, and the carbon credits being purchased to offset these emissions are unlikely to have a sufficiently positive impact on the climate.”
The full report can be accessed here.
