NATIONALISM has meant that a fair proportion of the almost eight billion world population get excited by the challenge of international global competition, particularly the Olympics and the football World Cup. In the past many have travelled to very distant venues for a firsthand experience.

However it’s about time to rethink the nature of our support, particularly as television coverage is now of the highest standard, and so save on the carbon emissions from flying thousands of miles to different venues.

We will certainly see more of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics from home or the local pub while, unbelievably, the 2022 World Cup, in Qatar of all places, is certainly the worst example of human decision making as short term greed and immediate profit override any responsibility for the future.

So they are building at least seven new football stadiums, using open air cooling technology, in a country less than one twentieth the size of the UK, with summer temperatures over 40 degrees and less than six inches of rain in the sub tropical desert climate. That’s not Valley Parade on a typical January day!

It’s difficult to comprehend the ignorance, the stupidity, the greed, the self interest and the inflated self importance of those who made the decision, and now support it. At the moment the Qatari population, just over two million, produces almost 40 tonnes of CO2 each every year, from their natural gas, oil production and lifestyles.

Despite the international evidence available they continue to add even more climate changing gases which are generally ignored by the global industries and communication systems that will be producing peak excesses of carbon dioxide and methane during the World Cup.

Even though a few more nations may be playing in this World Cup, the first in an Arab country, the cost is a climate destroying, people killing and mind blowing extravagance at a time when every decision made nationally and worldwide should aim to produce the least CO2 possible.

If you want your grandchildren to live beyond 50, then stay at home.