Host Qatar's World Cup 'carbon neutral' claims under fire

The World Cup will take place in Qatar next month, as promised, but environmental organizations are expressing concern that the tournament will be much more polluting than claimed.

Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary general of Qatar 2022, said organisers will achieve net-zero emissions for the tournament as a whole "by measuring, mitigating and offsetting all our greenhouse gas emissions".

But critics remain unconvinced despite this promise. The carbon footprint of the eight air-conditioned stadiums was recently criticized by former Manchester United star Eric Cantona as a "ecological aberration."

Gilles Dufrasne, a researcher for Carbon Market Watch and author of a report into Qatar 2022's climate credentials, said that carbon neutrality claims were "misleading and dishonest about the true climate impact that the event will have." Organisers of football's marquee event said it will generate 3.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, compared with 2.1 million generated by the previous edition, in Russia in 2018, reports AFP.

However, according to Carbon Market Watch, the hosts' estimate is not complete. For instance, it claims that Qatar significantly overestimated the carbon impact of building eight new stadiums, resulting in 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 being produced as opposed to the declared 200,000 tonnes.

As part of this program, organizers are collaborating with Qatar on renewable energy initiatives in Turkey.

These carbon credits, according to Jreissati, are a "distraction."

He claimed that they "create the idea that a solution is possible that does not require efforts to minimize greenhouse gas emissions through ambitious political decisions."

"We must immediately minimize pollution at the source."

Dufrasne expressed his desire for a "systemic reflection" in the World Cup's planning for upcoming competitions.This can entail hosting international versions of the competition or increasing the intervals between tournaments.

He stated, "Hold games all around the world, playing in venues that are nearest to ttwo teams playing."