Environmental sustainability has been one of the main features of Qatar’s work over the past 12 years as it built the mega stadiums and infrastructure for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The organisers of the World Cup, the first edition to be held in the Middle East and Arab region, have set an ambitious target of delivering a carbon-neutral tournament by offsetting all greenhouse gas emissions, while advancing low-carbon solutions.
All eight World Cup stadiums have been designed and built in a way to minimise impact on the environment. In fact the stadiums have increased green spaces in the country with vast public parks built around the World Cup stadiums. These parks are irrigated with recycled water and have slow-water-consumption plants suitable to local climate for sustainable landscaping. By early 2020, 500,000m2 of turf, 5,000 trees and 80,000 shrubs had been planted in stadium precincts and public spaces across Qatar.
The stadiums have been designed to be energy and water-efficient, and built using recycled materials. Water consumption at operational stadiums is 40 percent lower than international requirements.
Organisers aim to deliver a carbon-neutral tournament though a four-step process: awareness, measurement, reduction and offsetting. Qatar is also using clean energy at the venues including solar-powered lighting at parking lots and precinct perimeters.
A major sustainability component of the World Cup is public transportation. Qatar has built a network of metro and tram connecting the World Cup stadiums with airports and all the major commercial and residential districts of Doha, Lusail, and Al Wakrah. It is also the most compact World Cup, not only benefitting the fans and players but also reducing the overall carbon footprint of the tournament. Most of the World Cup venues are located within an hour’s journey from each other, allowing fans to attend more than one game a day. 24 of the 32 teams have their base camps within a 10-kilmotere radius in and around Doha.
Qatar’s pavilion on the sidelines of the UN climate summit in Egypt is showcasing the country’s efforts to hold a carbon-neutral tournament. Delegates to the summit in Egypt have also praised the sustainable design and operations of the World Cup stadiums.
As the world leaders highlighted the severity of the climate crisis at COP27 in Egypt, Qatar is setting a great example for future mega events by hosting a carbon-neutral World Cup.
