A few eyebrows were raised when it was announced that the 2020 European Championships would be held across the continent instead of the usual one or two countries.
While the decision meant that the tournament would be more accessible, the carbon footprint caused by players and fans hopping around 12 countries for a month isn’t exactly ideal.
Well, to counteract this, European football’s governing body UEFA has announced that it will be planting 50,000 trees in each of the 12 host countries, in a move it sees as ‘leaving a lasting legacy from the competition.’
A statement about a ‘major investment in tackling climate change issues’ was released today and says that ‘in addition, UEFA will invest in gold standard renewable energy projects in partnership with the South Pole to offset the estimated 405,000 tonnes of carbon produced by fans and UEFA staff traveling to games in the tournament.’
Announcing the plan, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said ‘the nature of the tournament means there are many benefits over a traditional one. In addition to being able to take the matches to more diverse communities across Europe, there is no need either to build a host of new stadia or the transport links that they need, which carry a huge environmental cost in concrete and other resources.’
He added that ‘it also has a cost – with increased travel for fans to watch their teams play. UEFA takes its responsibilities on this seriously and it is right that we offset the carbon emissions that causes. Working with South Pole will help to build gold standard renewable energy projects, which will be of lasting value to the planet.’
In total, 60o,000 trees will be planted across Europe with 50,000 of them here in Ireland. The tournament gets underway on June 12 next year and four matches will be held at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
You can find out more about UEFA’s initiative here.
