Qatar joined the world yesterday in celebrating Earth Day. Earth Day which started with an event on April 22, 1970, in the United States, has grown up with a wide range of events globally coordinated by EarthDay.org celebrated by more than one billion people in more than 193 countries. The first Earth Day saw more than 20 million people pouring onto the streets, which still remains the largest single-day demonstration.
The is year’s Earth Day is very special to Qatar as the country is fast preparing to host the world’s first carbon-neutral FIFA World Cup 2022, every aspect of which is being designed, developed and promoted without hurting the environment.
The first FIFA Arab Cup, hosted by Qatar in November and December last year, has served as a testing ground for projects to be delivered during the World Cup. One of them is a project which is closely linked to Qatar’s environmental initiatives to recycle and compost the organic waste produced from major football tournaments.
The more than 75 tonnes of organic waste collected during the FIFA Arab Cup has now been turned into compost, which is being utilised to grow fruits and vegetables. During the tournament, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC worked to maximise the use of compostable food containers and cutlery at stadiums and build awareness with the workforce on the appropriate use of waste segregation system, collecting maximum possible compostable waste which were later turned into compost.
All preparations are now in place to host the world’s mega football event in such a way that it leaves the least carbon footprint in the history of the tournament. Right from transport to stadium cooling, accommodation facilities for players, officials and fans, everything related to the World Cup will be managed paying minute attention to its impact on the environment. Only electric buses and other modes will be used to transport fans and teams from stadium to stadium and to their accommodation. As stadiums are close by there will be no need of using flights, reducing the amount of carbon emission considerably.
The World Cup 2022, the first one to be staged in the Arab region, will no doubt be a unique one, leaving several legacies, especially the environment legacy. It will serve as an example for the rest of the world to imitate and learn from in conducting mega events in the future. Yes, the FIFA World Cup will be another milestone for Qatar, which will yet again prove that when Qatar does something, it will dibe in a unique way.
