The logic of carbon neutrality is simple. Whenever a building consumes energy, a factory produces materials, a firm distributes goods around the world, or a city builds infrastructure, there is an environmental price tag. It can be calculated. It can be minimised. And where residual emissions remain after all reasonable reductions, they must be accounted for. Today, this rationale forms the basis for how we judge businesses, government projects and the activities of numerous institutions. It should also apply to the world’s most prominent events, including football’s biggest tournaments.

This is also the reasoning behind carbon pricing schemes and tariffs. Governments worldwide are beginning to acknowledge that pollution costs should be covered. A particular industry may be required to account for its high greenhouse gas emissions through taxes, carbon markets, more stringent regulations and increased reporting requirements. Naturally, this mechanism’s main objective is not to penalise any economic activity. The key is to make visible the costs that were previously hidden. Energy-intensive technologies have benefitted people for decades, but the climate has paid the price. Thus, carbon pricing aims to address this injustice in a fairly direct manner.

Sports should be treated in the same way. Businesses that contribute to the construction of our buildings, supply us with energy at home, provide us with fuel for air travel, and produce our goods are frequently questioned about how they affect the climate. However, when it comes to major........

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