With an estimated carbon footprint of 2 753 250 t of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e), the 2010 FIFA World Cup will have the largest carbon footprint of any major international sporting event, and will need major interventions to achieve the ambition of making it an event with a positive environmental legacy.

The massive footprint is largely due to the significant distance that many international spectators will need to travel to get to South Africa. Because of its location, almost all international visitors will need to fly to the country.

In fact, 67% of the carbon footprint (1,86-million tons) is attributed to international travel. However, excluding international travel, the 2010 event is still more than eight times the size of the 2006 World Cup, held in Germany.

The remaining 896 661 t of CO2e is comprised of intercity transport, intracity transport, stadium construction and materials, stadium and precinct energy use, and energy use in accommodation facilities.

With funding from the Norwegian government, the feasibility study for a carbon-neutral 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa was produced by Econ Pöyry, the Nordic branch of global consulting and engineering company Pöyry. The report authors state that, while the proposed greening measures and environmental standards can reduce the footprint, they will likely only affect the smaller components of it.

The report also estimates that offsetting the domestic carbon footprint of the 2010 FIFA World Cup could cost between $5,4-million and $9-million, while the cost of offsetting international travel alone would be double this amount. The money required needs to be secured as soon as possible for some offsets projects to be under way by 2010.

Securing the funds to offset emissions is still possible if the supporters of the Green Goal 2010 carbon offset programme get 2010 FIFA World Cup-related exposure and marketing.

"For this reason, the support of FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC), and their agreement that FIFA or Green Goal brand can be used for marketing by offset sponsors is probably essential for the success of this programme. In addition, marketing a credible programme to funders requires an institutional home with both credible skills in the carbon market and transparent, robust accounting and reporting procedures," says Econ Pöyry senior adviser for carbon and energy: Southern Africa Randall Spalding-Fecher.

"The opportunity of the 2010 World Cup to raise awareness of climate change and sustainability challenges, more broadly, among a wide range of stakeholder groups and the general public must not be missed," he emphasises.

The less time that is available to implement the carbon offset programme, the more activities and responsibilities that will have to be outsourced in order to have some offsets projects running by the time of the World Cup.

By ensuring that at least some of the offset projects for the 2010 FIFA World Cup have started implementation by 2010 and are in areas visible to local and international spectators, the offset projects will contribute to raising public awareness. It is also recommended that technology and project types that are easy for the general public to see, and replicate across South and Southern Africa, should be given the highest priority.

Greening 2010
In November 2009, the LOC, together with the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs and World Cup host cities launched the national Greening 2010 framework, aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of the event.

The Green Goal logo was unveiled and participants signed a pledge committing their support for Green Goal initiatives, which focus on the environmental aspects of waste, energy, transport, water, biodiversity and responsible tourism before and during the event.

The cross-cutting themes of the initiative were carbon offset and emissions reduction programmes, sustainable procurement, job creation, and communication and outreach.

Much work is also reportedly being done by the larger  host cities. The City of Durban, for example, has established that its carbon footprint for the soccer event will be about 118 000 t of C02-e, based on analysis by the same team that did the national footprint. This excludes international air travel to South Arica. Importantly, the city has committed to carbon neutrality by implementing industrial offset programmes and undertaking a reforestation project.

The City of Cape Town also launched its Green Goal action plan before the national launch, in October 2008.

Cconcern has been raised that many of the smaller host cities may not have the resources to dedicate to undertaking Green Goal 2010 carbon offset projects.

Geographically Challenged
The considerably larger carbon footprint  of the 2010 soccer World Cup compared with the 2006 event is related mainly to South Africa's geography and infrastructure.

For example, intercity transport emissions – the largest contributor, after international transport – are greater because distances between matches venues in South Africa are further than in Germany, and the absence of high-speed rail links means many visitors will fly between matches venues, leading to much higher transport emissions.

For intracity transport, much of this travel will still be in passenger cars or small buses over long distances, rather than light rail, as used in Germany.

Energy use in accommodation facilities is higher than for the 2006 analysis, but the assumptions used in the South African analysis are more realistic in terms of daily energy consumption and the length of time visitor will stay in the country.

The report also notes that the national Greening 2010 framework and minimum environmental standards for Green Goal 2010 include measures that have the potential to reduce the carbon footprint. However, these measures will only impact emissions from stadium and precinct energy use and intracity transport, which make up only 9% of the domestic carbon footprint.

"So while these interventions are important for raising public awareness and entrenching best practices at a local level, they will not have a significant impact on the size of the carbon footprint," note the authors.

The study recommended that, while national and local government should play a strong oversight role in the carbon offset programme, implementation of the programme should be outsourced to a carbon offset services provider using a reputable voluntary carbon market standard.

It is also noted that capturing the lessons from the study, as well as the calculation tools, for future international sporting events should be part of the legacy of 2010 for the region and for the sporting world as a whole.

Story Highlights:
Offsetting the 896 661t CO2e domestic impact could cost between $5,4-million and $9-million
The City of Cape Town and the City of Durban lead with their plans to implement carbon offset programmes