DOHA :Climate advocates have cast doubt on Qatar's efforts to host soccer's first carbon-neutral FIFA World Cup by offseting or eliminating emissions that contribute to global warming, according to a report released Tuesday.
In a statement, Qatar's tournament organisers dismissed the conclusions as speculative, saying emissions will be calculated using"best-in practice" methods after the tournament ends to ensure they are based on actual activities. "Can they claim it's a carbon neutral event at this point? Too early," said Fengqi You, an energy systems engineer at Cornell University.Carbon Market Watch criticised Qatar's method of spreading the emissions from building stadiums over the lifetime of the facility, rather than counting it all toward the World Cup. But that is a common practice, You said.
The decision to offset its emissions should be"recognized rather than criticized," a spokesperson for the tournament organisers, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, said in a statement.
How can an air-conditioned football arena be carbon neutral.?impossible