Brazil promises `greenest World Cup`

Brasilia: Brazil announced a package of pollution-cutting measures aimed at making this year`s World Cup more environmentally friendly, ranging from an emissions-trading scheme to a "green passport" smart-phone application.

"We want to score green goals," said Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira at a press conference announcing the initiative on Tuesday. The World Cup and other major sports events generally leave giant carbon footprints. Building stadiums and infrastructure, flying in teams and fans, and hosting the games themselves all emit large amounts of Earth-warming greenhouse gases such as CO2. Teixeira said this year`s World Cup, which runs from June 12 to July 13, is expected to directly add 59,000 tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere. When indirect emissions linked to the tournament are included, the total rises to 1.4 million tonnes -- just under half the footprint attributed to the London Olympics in 2012. The government has launched a program to offset that pollution by asking companies to give carbon credits in exchange for the right to advertise themselves as official "green seal" World Cup sponsors.