1st carbon-neutral World Cup seen to reinforce Qatar’s circular economy goals

Qatar’s delivery of a carbon-neutral FIFA World Cup is seen to underline the country’s ambition to successfully showcase the tournament “as a catalyst for sustainable, long-term change.”
Two years prior to hosting the World Cup, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), FIFA, and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC (Q22) published a sustainability strategy, which “includes a comprehensive set of initiatives to mitigate the tournament related emissions, including energy-efficient stadiums, low emission transportation, and sustainable waste management practices.”
These efforts, among other environment protection-related strategies from state authorities, fall under the Qatar National Vision 2030, which is supported by four pillars: economic, social, human, and environmental development.
In a policy paper on Circular Economy (CE), the Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (IPA Qatar) stated sustainable development “is most explicit” in the economic development and environmental development pillars.
According to the paper, Qatar, along with other economies in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), “have already embarked on the sustainability transition.” The paper stated: “Balancing economic development and environmental conservation is a common theme in their national visions. Thus, incorporating CE principles across sectors would further support the diversification agendas and help build circular sectors.”
It stressed that implementing a CE strategy, among other advantages, provides governments with the necessary tools to address issues, such as climate change – “a challenge that needs a global solution.”
“Qatar has taken significant steps to address this challenge, both in the national and international arenas. Internationally, Qatar is among the first countries to accede to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (1996), the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes (1995), and the Paris Agreement (2016),” the paper stated.
Aside from the country’s national vision, authorities launched Qatar’s second National Development Strategy (2018-2022), which also sets concrete targets to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
According to the paper, some of these targets include: reducing the per capita consumption of water by 15% through the national programme ‘Tarsheed’, reducing per capita electricity consumption rate by 8%, increasing the share of recycled materials used in construction projects to 20% of total materials used, and increasing the recycling rate of solid waste to 15%.
Aside from hosting the first carbon-neutral World Cup, Qatar has other sustainability initiatives, such as smart city technology at Msheireb Downtown Doha, QatarEnergy’s carbon capture roadmap for the energy sector in Qatar, the world-class Hamad Port, district cooling technology, and green transportation targets, among others.
“Furthermore, ongoing sustainability projects with guidance from Qatar National Vision 2030, such as hosting the first carbon-neutral FIFA World Cup ever in 2022, are clear manifestations of the government’s commitment to maintaining harmony between economic development and environmental sustainability,” the paper stated.