Qatar 2022: Carbon Market Watch disputes organisers' claims of "carbon-neutrality", methodology & "environmental integrity" of off-set credits; incl. comments from FIFA
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A report from Carbon Market Watch has refuted claims from tournament organisers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 that the event will be the first carbon-neutral tournament of its kind.
In their analysis, Poor tackling: Yellow card for 2022 FIFA World Cup's carbon neutrality claim", Carbon Market Watch criticise the calculations used by organisers to back up the claim, and say that the credits purchased to off-set emissions have "a low level of environmental integrity". The analysis finds an underestimate of the impact of the construction of seven new stadiums and extensive refurbishment of an eighth.
A spokesperson for the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) in Qatar told the BBC that the methodology used for the calculations is "best in practice" and reiterated their commitment to a carbon-neutral World Cup.
FIFA has also disputed the report, highlighting that the report does not take into account the plans for stadium legacy use after the tournament in its calculations of impact.
Calling the event itself carbon neutral is problematic. Even if the accounting had been done properly, it gives a false sense of achievement and says we can continue to host this mega event every four years and can continue to do that at no significant cost to the climate. This gives a false idea to the general public and fans attending, so the policy makers need to communicate correctly about the impact of these events, putting the measures in place to reduce emissions but then still be clear about the fact that these events come at a cost. We need to be transparent about it.Gilles Dufrasne, Carbon Market Watch
The emissions that will be unavoidable while preparing for and hosting the tournament will be offset through investing in internationally recognised and certified carbon credits. The SC's decision to transparently and proactively offset carbon emissions in a responsible manner should be recognised.Supreme Committee spokesperson
The organisers have pledged to measure, mitigate and offset all Fifa World Cup 2022 greenhouse gas emissions, while advancing low-carbon solutions in Qatar and the region. Thus, at no point has Fifa misled its stakeholders, as is claimed by the report. Fifa is fully aware of the risks that mega-events pose on the economy, the natural environment and on people and communities. [It] has been making efforts to tackle those impacts and use opportunities that arise to mitigate the negative impacts and maximise the positive impacts of its iconic tournament.FIFA spokesperson