Sunday 19 September 2021

Only the Football Pitch is Green

UK Premier League football seems to be well into the art of 'greenwash'. TV commentators have been repeatedly claiming that Tottenham hotspur are 'hosting the world's first net zero carbon football match, against their London rivals, Chelsea' (https://www.buzz.ie/sport/soccer/spurs-host-worlds-first-net-25020502). This local derby will alledgedly be 'net zero' because of a) special coffee containers etc being used at the Spurs ground and b) Chelsea will arrive in a low emissions coach. This is most incredible bullsh**. Presumably, none of the thousands of spectators or other workers at the ground will have used a car or bus to travel to the match. What about all the Spurs players, the referee, the linesmen and the TV pundits? Presumably also, no electricity will have been used to operate the equipment to beam the match for TV audiences. No other half-time snacks or meals will have used gas or electricity to heat them? Everything delivered to the ground (food, drinks, first aid equipment etc etc) arrived by zero emissions transport? And this is a local match in the same city. Both teams have been involved, this week, in European matches with enormous carbon emissions being generated by the teams and travelling fans. Top flight football currently isn't even slightly green. This is clearly a marketing opportunity rather than a serious attempt to counter climate change. Cynical or what?

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