Qatar’s promise of ‘carbon-neutral’ World Cup raises doubts

WASHINGTON — In the 12-year run-up to hosting the 2022 men’s World Cup soccer tournament, Qatar has been on a ferocious construction spree with few recent parallels. “It’s not very helpful for this type of event to market itself as carbon-neutral,” said Gilles Dufrasne, a researcher at the Brussels-based non-governmental organization Carbon Market Watch, which authored a report questioning Qatar’s sustainability plan. “This is problematic,” Carbon Market Watch said, questioning the likelihood that Qatar, which is smaller than the U.S. state of Connecticut, would have erected seven large stadiums without the World Cup. A spokesperson for the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy called the methodology behind Qatar’s carbon-neutral pledge “best in practice.” CARBON OFFSETS QUESTIONED Central to Qatar’s plan to reduce World Cup emissions are carbon offsets. “Before we only burned gas to generate power.” Organizers have repeatedly said the country’s decision to offset the event’s carbon emissions “should be recognized rather than criticized.” Karim Elgendy, a fellow at London’s Chatham House think tank who previously worked as a climate consultant for the World Cup, said Qatar’s efforts at ‘greening’ the tournament “show a positive trend for a sporting event.” It indicates that Qatar, one of the world’s top natural gas exporters, is taking steps to improve its climate credentials, Elgendy said.