Over 75% of the emissions is driven by sponsorship by polluting corporations
Guess what’s the carbon footprint of football?
As much as the annual emissions of the European nation of Austria, according to a new scientific report brought out by the New Weather Institute from Scientists for Global Responsibility.
Incidentally, the beautiful game’s emissions is 60% more than the annual emissions of its first World Cup host, Uruguay, according to the report.
It’s important to highlight how devastating the world’s most popular game can be for the planet, and in turn, how climate change is in turn affecting football.
Extreme weather is causing it difficult to play 90-minute matches, especially in hotter and more humid regions. Also, in the upcoming World Cup 2026, the wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles, USA, was supposed to host eight matches, sponsored by the world’s largest oil and gas company, Aramco, found the report.
It further pointed out that “football’s action on climate remains in its infancy and has generally focused on reducing operational emissions.” On the other hand, major expansion of international tournaments, the number of matches played, and sponsorship by polluting corporations takes away from whatever meaningful steps have been taken.
Scoring for pollution
The main and biggest sources of football’s pollution are sponsorship deals with heavily polluting companies, travel for both international and domestic matches, and construction of new stadiums, according to the report.
It found that, overall, total emissions of the game are approximately 64-66 million tCO2e per year. If one removes the corporate sponsorship links, the carbon footprint of football’s activities falls to 13-15 million tCO2e per year, or less than a quarter. This is equivalent to the emissions of a small nation like Costa Rica.
“Football needs to wake up to the threat posed to it by climate change. From each flooded pitch to players endangered by extreme heat, climate impacts are beginning to erode the foundations of football. Without urgent change, it is only going to get worse. Instead of being a source of pollution, football can be a powerful tool for change, using a sport that is so loved and adored around the world to secure a healthy, habitable planet,” said Tessel Middag, a professional footballer who plays for the Netherlands.
The report found that hosting one match at a FIFA Men’s World Cup Finals is estimated to emit between 44,000-72,000 tCO2e, or as much as the emissions of 31,500-51,500 average UK cars driven for an entire year. If one includes high carbon sponsorship-related emissions, total emissions can rise by over 350% per match.
According to the report, the FIFA men’s World Cup emits up to 6.5 million tCO2e over its four-year cycle, while over 93% emissions are a result of the most popular domestic leagues, with annual attendances above a million, and international tournaments. This includes air travel by spectators as well.
“Despite its mass appeal and global audience, football is struggling to get a handle on its true environmental impact due to patchy data and the exclusion of key areas of its carbon footprint, especially sponsored emissions. This research documents compelling evidence that football is a major polluter and its contribution to climate change is growing. It also shows that there is little indication that decision-makers are prepared to adequately assess the game’s pollution problem, let alone take the steps necessary to reduce it,” said Dr. Stuart Parkinson, from Scientists for Global Responsibility who led the research.
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This content is reposted from the source: https://carboncopy.info/footballs-carbon-footprint-is-the-same-as-austrias-annual-emissions-report/
