For the world, qatar You can boast of a new country. to the construction of seven new stadiums, an entire city where the final will be held, 100 new hotels and a multitude of new roads, in addition to the 16 floating complexes with 1,600 rooms that will surround the peninsula in a few weeks. Qatar, in turn, boasts of becoming the host of the first “carbon neutral” World Cup. Instead, climate activists and environmental organizations accuse the organizers of being architects of a “environmental aberration” in the midst of a climate emergency.
“The organization of the World Cup is going to generate a climate impact quite important, since it will generate many emissions & rdquor; of carbon dioxide, explains Gilles Dufrasne, Carbon Market Watch (CMW) researcher. This non-profit foundation, which often works with the European Union, has been the one who has put the numbers to this aberration. “The organizers, that is, FIFA and the Qatarishave estimated to produce some 3.6 million tons of carbon dioxide that they intend to compensate by buying carbon credits, but we believe that it is an underestimation & rdquor ;, he explains to this newspaper.
Qatar is already the largest emitter per capita of carbon dioxide in the world, despite being the smallest country to host a World Cup in its entire history. “Qatar and FIFA’s claims about carbon neutrality are wrong and misleading& rdquor ;, also denounces Julien Jerissatithe director of Middle East and North Africa programs at greenpeace. “A serious climate action should lead to a reduction in emissions and not compensation & rdquor ;, he adds for EL PERIÓDICO. High spending on new construction and the huge volume of air travel are already driving up the volume of emissions.
Expansive anxiety
For five weeks, the unprecedented visit of 1.2 million people, almost half of the population of Qatar. But to get to the November 20, the first country in the region to host a World Cup has undergone a true transformation. In the 11 years since he won the nomination, the authorities have spent almost €230 billion in infrastructure. The gas-rich country seeks to emulate the dramatic evolution of its Emirati rivals in moving away from economic dependence on energy resources. At the height of its construction boom in 2016, Qatar spent 18% of your GDP in infrastructure, well above the previous candidates.
In addition, this sector also employs almost the half of the country’s workforce, increasing its population by 67% since 2011. But, in this expansive anxiety, the concern for that “carbon neutrality & rdquor; It has been rather minimal. “One of the main sources of emissions has been the infrastructure constructionthe stadiums, the offices of the organizers, the modernization of hotels and things like that & rdquor ;, Dufrasne points out, “and the other is the impact of air travel to the country, since Qatar does not have the capacity to accommodate all the fans and many will stay in neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia or the Emirates”.
10,000 liters of water daily
Beyond “the costs of having over a million extra people in a city & rdquor ;, holding a competition of this magnitude in a climate like the Qatari will have serious consequences. As the World Cup approaches, Qatar is going to need at least 10,000 liters of water a day for each stadium. in a region with little access to fresh water, obtaining it will depend on desalination, the practice of eliminating salt water so that it is drinkable and which implies serious environmental costs. Also the gardeners take a month expelling cold air on the lawn to grow. Meanwhile, north of Doha, a grass reserve of 425,000 square meterss, about 40 football fields.
To keep the stadiums cool when the temperature outside air exceeds 40 degrees, air conditioning will be used to lower it to 23 or 25 degrees. “All those emissions are having an immediate impact and cannot be offset. planting trees that will take decades to start absorbing carbon & rdquor ;, recalls Jreissati. For this reason, Greenpeace and CMW accuse the organizers of “greenwashing”. “This claim of carbon neutrality tries to improve the image of the event, FIFA and the Qatari government & rdquor ;, says Dufrasne.
‘greenwashing’
“Seeks to draw attention away from the fact that this is an event incredibly harmful in terms of climate impact & rdquor ;, he adds. The consequences of this claim go far beyond the World Cup. “This message will make it harmful the transition to a more sustainable society because if everyone is faced with the message that the World Cup is carbon neutral and that we can fly carbon neutral, then it’s really hard for an average person to understand why you should change your behavior& rdquor ;, he points out.
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What will happen when the December 18 th lights go out and fans fly home again? Not only will the lights of the seven stadiums built for the occasion stop turning on and the streets will be emptied of revelry. Also the world will stop looking at Qatar and will jump to the next competition. But emissions, on the Arabian coast and around the world, continue to rise. “Then, the big question will come & rdquor ;, announces Dufrasne, “what is the social purpose of holding these types of events if they are no longer sustainable?”.
“The question is not how we can reduce emissions in Qatar, but rather if these competitions, with people flying from all over the world and years of rampant construction, they must continue to happen & rdquor ;, adds the CMW researcher. “All the outrage created by environmental impacts should be a wake up call for both Qatar and FIFA to participate in real transformative changes in line with a renewable and green world & rdquor ;, concludes Jreissati.