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Qatar Airways CEO defends 160 extra daily flights at ‘climate-neutral’ World Cup


Qatar Airways on Thursday announced it has partnered with regional airlines to allow World Cup ticket holders to fly to Doha and return from neighboring countries on the same day. Climate advocates say the decision is in line with the league’s sustainability goals.

“Please don’t believe people who only speak negatively [things]”Akbar Al Baker told CNN’s Becky Anderson in an interview Monday, adding that he is confident the flights will be full.

“[We] have very low-emissions planes compared to normal planes that most other airlines fly,” including long-haul flights, he said.

He did not elaborate on how the plane’s emissions would be lower than other planes, but the airline’s website says it employs “one of the youngest fleets in the sky” and has done so. Currently 70 fuel optimization programs. Aviation is a major contributor to anthropogenic climate change. Qatar’s economy is oil-based and has one of the largest per capita carbon footprints in the world.

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Prior to Thursday’s announcement, organizers had estimated the tournament’s carbon footprint at more than 3.6 million tons of CO2, more than half of which will come from travel advocates. Emissions from new daily flights – from Dubai, Muscat, Riyadh, Jeddah and Kuwait – will add to the current estimate.

In response to a question from CNN, FIFA said its previous carbon footprint estimates were published in February 2021 and actual differences would be resolved after the tournament ended.

Qatar says it will offset emissions by “investing in green projects” – a popular way for companies and residents to eliminate the impact of their footprint. Organizers have established a “Global Carbon Council” tasked with “identifying quality projects.”

However, climate experts marked limitations of offsetting programs, such as tree planting, given that they are overused and their impact is sometimes exaggerated, allowing for normal business emissions from burning fuel fossil material.
Follow the carbon market published a report on Tuesday said the World Cup’s carbon credit scheme has supported projects with “low levels of environmental integrity” and has so far granted only 130,000 credits out of the 1.8 million pledged. The World Cup will begin at the end of November.

CNN has reached out to the Qatar government’s Supreme Committee on Delivery & Legacy, the body responsible for the event, for comment.

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The Carbon Market Watch report also claims FIFA’s estimated carbon emissions for the tournament have been underestimated, criticizing “the choice of accounting approach.”

In response to the report, FIFA said its accounting method is based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a widely used standard.

It added that it had failed to “mislead stakeholders” and was “fully aware of the risks that major events pose to the economy, the natural environment and people and communities.”

The official logo of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was unveiled in Doha on September 3.

In a press release in September, event organizers Qatar said one of the advantages of hosting the World Cup was the “lightweight nature” of their country. The short distances between stadiums will limit the need for domestic air travel by fans and reduce the tournament’s carbon footprint. It goes on to say that air travel is “recognized as one of the world’s largest sources of carbon emissions.”

But there are growing concerns that the small country of less than 3 million people may not be able to cope with so many fans. The number of spectators flying in and out in a day will lessen the need for more upscale accommodation.

However, Al Baker said there are always plans to run additional flights to pick up people just for the day.

“Your Queen has always wanted to share the benefits of this tournament with all of our neighbours,” he said.

“This is possible because first of all, we have good modern facilities. They process people very quickly. We have also brought in huge means of transport including the subway,” Al said. Baker said.



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