Sports Going Green

 With much of the world turning to green forms of energy, it is no wonder that sports would soon follow suit in going green. The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be held in Qatar, largely due to the fact that they've pledged to build as green a stadium as possible. The beautiful plans for this stadium have inspired numerous other countries to follow closely in green sports, America being a large contender of building green stadiums. The National Geographic  reports:

The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar—the world's largest supplier of liquefied natural gas—won its bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in December with its bold commitment to make the event carbon-neutral for the first time, an effort in which stunning stadium design will play a vital role.

Qatar plans to renovate three existing stadiums and construct nine new ones, incorporating solar energy, sun-shading, and an elaborate public transportation plan.

The issue of the World Cup's greenhouse gas emissions came under scrutiny last year, when a report commissioned by the South African and Norwegian governments concluded that carbon footprint of the 2010 tournament in South Africa was eight times higher than that of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The increased burden stemmed primarily from South Africa's heavy reliance on coal for electricity, and a lack of intercity rail or local public transit that required fans to travel by air and bus.

Although the African FIFA was a large help in improving impoverished countries, much of it was done in non-environmentally friendly ways. Qatar, and possibly Russia in 2018, will help pave the way for awe inspiring and environmentally friendly sports around the world.