Diab argues the World Cup shouldn’t be using offsets at all to claim carbon neutrality – as it gives the misleading impression it is not leading to overall damage to the climate, he says. The event could still promote its contribution to climate finance, he says, but not claim this as negating its own emissions.
But if any carbon offsets are being used to claim “carbon neutrality”, the organisers could ensure they are of the highest quality – reliable, long-lasting reductions in emissions that would not have happened without the investment.
An important part of offsetting any World Cup is also taking action to better understand the current footprint today, and setting credible goals for reducing this, says Roger McClendon, executive director of the Green Sports Alliance. “You have to be careful about greenwashing and not overstating what you’re doing,” he says. This would mean being transparent about progress, he says, even if it means, for example, admitting that only 30% of emissions are credibly mitigated or offset to begin with. “Then we work our way from there to 40%, 50%, till we get to 100% net zero [in future events].”
Back in 2018, Vince’s football team, Forest Green Rovers, became the first UN-certified carbon neutral sports club in the world. “It is okay to use carbon offsets, but they can’t be used ahead of everything else,” says Vince. “You’ve got to do the measurement properly and diligently, you’ve got to reduce as far as you possibly can, and then, and only then, use offsets to deal with the residual [emissions]. This is a job that never stops, and Fifa should be doing this with every subsequent World Cup, it should get better and better.”
Changing minds
Important as it is for the World Cup to reduce its carbon footprint, its huge reach means it could have far wider and longer-lasting impacts than the month-long event itself.
Sport occupies a hugely important and, in many ways, unique place in global culture. “The potential for the sports industry to increase human awareness and understanding of the challenges we face and the next steps of how to engage, act and adapt behaviours is a ‘game changer’,” says Hoegeland.
In fact, if sport in general embraced a low-carbon approach it could “influence millions of people to make, and accept, changes in their life”, says Seymour.
