World Cup 2014: The Most Energy Consuming Sports Tournament

Got a love for soccer? You are not the only one; there are so many other people who are fans of this sport, which makes the 2014 World Cup among the most watched tournament in soccer history. What else makes the World Cup different? It could be the most energy consuming tournament as well.

The World Cup has over 3 billion viewers across the globe.  No matter how you look at it, this is huge. All of these people are watching the tournament on their TV screens, which use energy.  What about the people who watch the matches played live at the stadium? Stadiums also have huge screens set up. And while reaching the stadiums, all these people must have used a significant amount of fuel.  Now the action in the playing field is transmitted live to all fans at their homes, and this cannot be done without using energy.

We know the World Cup is going to be big, and we want you to know that it will be the most energy consuming tournament as well. FIFA claims that the amount of energy, which the World Cup will consume, is enough to provide fuel to over 20 million vehicles in the US for 24 hours. This much energy is equivalent to the amounts consumed by 560,000 cars in a year.

Is energy the only problem? The World Cup will also be responsible for adding tons of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere.  The biggest contribution of 60% in this regard is coming from international flights. The remaining 40% emission is because of vehicles which transport cameras, cables and other equipment. All the activities will allow the World Cup 2014 to add over 24,670 tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Burn over 13,000 tons of coal or 28 millions of gas, and the resulting emissions will be equivalent to what the FIFA cup is expected to produce.

So why did FIFA put so much effort into coming up with all these figures? Because the next time they hold a World Cup, they want to make a difference. For instance, if they reduce their international staff by 10%, they can reduce the carbon footprint by 6%. Hopefully, the 2018 World Cup will not have such an effect on our energy resources or the environment.

Source: www.csmonitor.com