Carbon Footprint of World Cup 2010 = Over 1 Million Cars

While we’re all cheering on our favorite soccer teams in this year’s World Cup in South Africa, here’s a not-so-cheery thought: the World Cup 2010 will generate the equivalent carbon emissions of over 1 million cars driving on the roads in a year — or 2.75 million tons of CO2, according to EU Infrastructure. That’s six times the size of the last World Cup that was held in Germany four years ago.

Yes, it’s the world’s biggest sporting event, but the combination of eager fans and players flying into the region, along with the construction of new stadiums, and a ramp up of South Africa’s mostly coal-based energy consumption also means it’s an environmental nightmare. Compared to the German World Cup, EU Infrastructure says that the European country already had the needed stadiums built, and also generates a lot more of its power from renewables. So clearly carbon footprint wasn’t a major factor when it comes to picking a location for the event. EU Infrastructure also put together this truly awesome graphic, for a bigger shot see here.

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