| Abstract: |
The FIFA World Cup 2022, organized in Qatar from 20 November 2022 to 18
December 2022, is the most controversial sporting event since its inception in
1930. When Qatar was selected in 2010 to host the competition, it was lacking
the infrastructure necessary for the tournament. To build stadiums, hotels,
accommodations, subways, highways, tourist attractions, etc., Qatar spent up
to $229 billion , making it more expensive than all its previous editions
altogether. Upon selection, Qatar was, and still, severely criticized rightly
or excessively on a number of questions related to environment, human rights
and work conditions. Historically, Qatar is not a nation of football or sport
more generally. Once the game is over, the stadiums will most likely have no
or little uses. A dereliction of stadiums will mean that huge investments
would have been wasted fruitlessly. Seven of the eight stadiums built for the
occasion will be dismantled and the construction materials will be donated to
other countries†. Hotels, shopping centers, cafés, schools and sporting
accommodations are expected to build in place. To recalibrate the investments
in more Qatar-environmentally adapted and economically viable investments than
cement buildings, particularly under arid conditions and lack of natural
resources, as is the case in Qatar, I’d suggest to transform the stadiums into
research centers, universities or better into plant and/or animal farms such
as crop or vegetable greenhouses, poultry, fishery, cow or camel farms. Plant
or animal farms of such kinds will help produce food products that Qatar needs
and imports mostly from abroad. Some stadiums can be adapted to produce fodder
and others to produce animal products, taking advantage of the already
existing air-conditioning to reduce the impacts of high temperature on plants
and animals. A mix of fodder production and animal breeding stations can also
be set up in the same stadium (same farm), depending on the size and species
of crops and animals to breed. Seven stadiums transformed into seven large
crop greenhouses and/or animal farms to produce thousands of tons of food
products would undoubtedly be more economically viable than to erect cement
constructions which, in turn, will entail increased needs of food resources
that Qatar lacks basically. By transforming large stadiums into food
production farms, Qatar can auto-satisfy of some food products locally, and
save money spent on food importation from the overseas while reducing
environmental impacts of food importation from long distances. The
stadium-farms can be irrigated with seawater and solar energy as previously
suggested [1] [2] or using traditional greenhouses irrigation systems. |