Football - opera of the people - or climate hazard?

" Football is the opera of the people"- Stafford Heginbotham

So 2010 FIFA World Cup is creeping up fast, and this year to be hosted in the gorgeous and dynamic continent of Africa! To many this has become an almost life-changing event to look forward to - the hype, excitement & socio-economic zoom in on games continue to avalanche in South Africa, and other parts of the African continent. But what will it really mean - beyond the thrill of the game and apprehension of who will win e.g. will the cup stay in Africa? A famous football manager Bill Shankly once stated that football is more important than life and death! Now that is "profound".

Back to 'what does this mean'? Throwing a spanner into the works...one angle is the influence that football events have on climate change.

Yep climate change (also another topical area gripping the globe in recent years). Here are some points to ponder on effect of football events (and other sports events that gather multitudes within the space at the same time):

- Recycling: how many players and watching fans worry about recycling during the games and events, how many 'going green' companies come on board to raise awareness on environmentally friendly disposal of bottles, cans, plastic food wrappers etc as consumerism escalates, do organisers think of the after effect on the environment when planning to host events of such magnitude?

- Energy sources: with all the travel, maintaining training grounds and stadiums, what strategies are in place to counter the large amounts of CO2 emitted each season e.g. use of wind turbines or car-pooling or solar panels or grass roofs?

A 'team green' approach to football (and other games) is surely worth exploration at a large scale. Where it has been employed, it has been shown to be effective and cost-effective e.g. the eco-friendly soccer stadium in Brazil.

So -happy games and winnings - and safety always - during the 2010 FIFA World Cup games :)