Complete Bid Book – United Bid

24
Environmental Protection
Finally, given their significance to the
2026 FIFA World Cup sustainability
performance, the baselines for waste,
recycling, and water efficiency are also
important. It is reassuring to see that some
cities (predominantly those in Canada and the
United States so far) have introduced tough
targets for tackling these issues, such as
achieving “zero waste” by 2020. These targets
are generally supported by comprehensive
citywide regulations, plans, and community
engagement programs.
The United Bid’s aim is to use the planning
and staging of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to
help support our Candidate Host Cities in their
efforts to accelerate environmental progress.
While all the Candidate Host Cities hold major
sporting events and are used to impacts from
large numbers of fans and visitors, the FIFA
World Cup only operates for a fixed period
and impacts on the cities will be short-term.
Still, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a unique
opportunity not just to avoid exacerbating
existing environmental conditions, but to be
a force for catalyzing positive environmental
change into legacy, a transformation
opportunity the United Bid intends to maximize.
Environmental Impacts: From the
materiality analysis, the EIA identified a
number of issues and impacts predicted from
staging the tournament. As each Candidate
Host City has an existing stadium, no major
construction or major infrastructure upgrades
are required and, unlike previous FIFA World
Cup Competitions, there will be no
environmental (or long-term economic)
impacts from such construction. These
“avoided impacts” are a key consideration in
the United Bid EIA scope and methodology.
Nevertheless, the United Bid understands
and does not underestimate the impact of
hundreds of thousands of fans and other
visitors resulting from the staging of a FIFA
World Cup. Priority environmental impacts
identified in the initial materiality analysis
include those related to carbon emissions,
energy, materials, waste, transport, air quality,
biodiversity, and water. Of these, carbon,
transport, air quality, materials, water, food,
and waste were identified as key aspects on
which the United 2026 and the Candidate
Host Cities should focus.
Carbon Footprint: The United Bid’s
preliminary estimate for the Competition’s
carbon footprint, based on recognized
calculation protocols and boundaries,
is 3.6 million metric tons.
Travel (inter- and intra-city and international
transport) is responsible for 85% of the
footprint. The overlay and accommodation (for
all FIFA World Cup teams, officials, visitors,
broadcast and media) contribute 5.5% and
2% of total emissions, respectively.
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