The most polluting sporting event ever staged is underway

The World Cup in Qatar, as always happens in these major global events, is a mirror in which to reflect. Who are we really? Of course, the theme of the day is the elimination of Germany thanks also to a goal by Japan that will probably have to be cancelled. There’s a lot of talk about it. But is it really the most important thing that happened in Qatar these days? Here I mention a few.

There Before: this World Cup should have been, according to Fifa, the first carbon neutral sporting event, i.e. done without contributing to pollution and climate change. On the contrary, it will be what it has reached the record level of emissions of carbon dioxide, never so many, not to mention the fact that 500 flights arrive in Qatar every day to bring fans who have not found rooms in hotels: 500 flights a day in terms of emissions is a huge figure.

However, the problem is not only Qatar, of course, which has been much talked about for its inhumane management of immigrant workers and for the denial of homosexual rights. We are the problem too: it turns out that the football team shirts we are buying for 150 euros in shops were sewn in some Asian countries where workers get $3 a day and where there have been mass layoffs when a small raise has been asked. Is it still okay? Can we accept it?

To avoid thinking that the problems are only caused by others, perhaps from distant countries, the organizers of next World Cup, which will take place between the USA, Canada and Mexico, expect to further increase the amount of polluting emissions. Is that okay? Is it possible that all our interest in the environment, the planet and people’s rights stops in front of football, while football itself could show billions of people another way of doing things?