UN Climate Change News, 18 April 2018 – Working together with the UN, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has launched a campaign to get this year’s FIFA World Cup ticket holders to offset the carbon emissions resulting from their attendance of the tournament, the largest single-sport competition in the world.

The federation and football fans will thereby contribute towards global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, which is to limit the rise in global average temperature to well below two degrees Celsius and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial level.

The campaign involves measuring, reducing emissions, and offsetting unavoidable emissions, which mainly result from international travel to this year’s FIFA World Cup host country Russia, and travel within Russia.

“I commend FIFA for leading by example in reducing the climate impact of the 2018 World Cup and encouraging football fans to act on climate change. Reducing emissions as far as possible and compensating for emissions that cannot be avoided is the best way to score goals for the climate and our common future,” said Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change.

In 2016, FIFA became the first international sports organization to join the UN Climate Change initiative Climate Neutral Now pledging to strive towards becoming greenhouse gas emission-neutral by the mid-21st century.

“The Earth’s climate is changing due to human activity. We need to reduce the emissions that enter the atmosphere,” said FIFA’s Secretary General, Fatma Samoura. “FIFA takes its environmental responsibility very seriously. As part of our twofold strategy, FIFA and the Local Organising Committee will offset all of their own operational emissions and, through the climate action campaign launched today, we will also support and engage with fans by neutralising the emissions of those who join us.”

Win two tickets for the final match of FIFA World Cup

Participating football fans can not only join the campaign for free but, by doing so, they will also have the opportunity to win two tickets for the final match.

All ticket holders are invited to sign up on FIFA.com and take part in the campaign, regardless of where they live. For each ticket holder signing up, FIFA will offset 2.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (tCO2e), which is the average emission per ticket holder traveling from abroad.   

When signing up, fans will automatically enter a prize draw to win two tickets for the FIFA World Cup final at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.

The list of offsetting projects selected will be announced in June and will include verified low-carbon projects in Russia and abroad.

See how FIFA organizers offset emissions from the 2014 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil.  

Read the relevant FIFA news item.