Carbon Emissions COP27 & the FIFA World Cup Qatar, 2022
A carbon emissions league table for the FIFA World Cup would raise awareness for climate change
Anyone can attract attention by causing mayhem. Thinking differently is arguably a more sensible approach to solving the myriad of global environmental challenges.
I’ve been asking myself why COP27 is not mandated as a virtual event, especially when you consider the global aviation industry is responsible for 12% of the world’s CO2 emissions. There is a need to expedite a reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet in November, hundreds of delegates will fly to Egypt, a country with an appalling human rights record.
Also in November, and out of season, Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup, traditionally a summer spectacle. I’ve asked myself why COP27 delegates and the 30+ World Cup participants are not mandated to publish their carbon footprint data and associated offsetting measures. FIFA could incentivise fans to travel on airlines using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Why aren’t they doing so?
The Travel Industry and event organisers must do more to raise awareness for Sustainable Aviation Fuel
SAF has similar properties to conventional jet fuel but with a smaller carbon footprint. Despite advances in this field, SAF is a mixture of biofuel and traditional aviation fuel (50/50). Nonetheless, an aircraft using SAF will emit fewer greenhouse gasses than an identical model flying on traditional fuels. Growing dedicated energy crops is one way of boosting local economies, but the increase in cost for SAF is a barrier to the market.
Sustainable Aviation commissioned independent consultants E4tech to model the future potential of sustainable aviation fuels. Their analysis estimates that in 2035 there may be between 14.5 and 30.9 million tonnes per year of sustainable aviation fuels produced globally. This would correspond to 4%-8% of global aviation fuel use. sustainableaviation.co.uk
In March 2022, British Airways announced it had taken delivery of the first batch of SAF produced on a commercial scale in the UK. BA’s purchase of SAF means almost 100,000 tonnes, enough to power 700 net zero CO2 emissions flights between London and New York on its fuel-efficient Boeing 787 aircraft. - BA.com. It’s a good start by BA, but there is a lot more to be done by the behemoths of the skies.
Global events such as COP27 and the FIFA World Cup provide opportunities for organisers to adopt. The UN could mandate all future conferences to be held virtually. FIFA, and other sporting bodies have an obligation to educate the thousands of global supporters on the impact of carbon emissions, and to raise awareness for sustainable transport.
Engineering innovations and manufacturing techniques have helped the aviation industry to reduce emissions. However, there is more that can be done to reduce emissions. Both the UN and FIFA have the resources to purchase or subsidise sustainable fuel for the airlines transporting the thousands to the Middle East for two global events.
Both organisations may argue that they’re not mandated to subsidise bio fuels. This is true, but collaboration and cooperation are keys to turning the tide of climate change.