2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2018 FIFA World Cup

2014 FIFA

2014 FIFA

2014 FIFA

The opportunities to encourage the adoption of environmentally sound technologies and practices in developing countries and transition economies are significant. World events serve as opportunities to showcase and raise awareness about innovative technologies and practices. Future GHG emission mitigation potential lies in a country’s ability to incorporate these technologies and practices into its infrastructure in the long term. An important component to ensuring successful adoption is careful upstream planning. The transportation project that will take place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia was approved in 2010, leaving time to effectively green the event in a sustainable way that will positively impact cities and citizens in Russia. The project in place for the 2014 winter

2016 Olimpics in Rio

2016 Olimpics in Rio

2016 Olimpics in Rio

 Olympics in Sochi will also provide the country with time to secure the investment plan and green the city’s infrastructure.Two other important events will take place in 2014 and 2016 in Brazil, when that country will host the world’s two premier sporting events—the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The 2014 World Cup will be conducted in 12 Brazilian cities. Public works projects of approximately $52 billion are planned in order to develop the necessary infrastructure, including stadiums construction, urban transport systems, roads and highways, airports, electric power network expansion, telecommunications networks, water, and wastes. The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will require extra investments of approximately $11 billion for the same purposes. With cooperation of international partners, the large sums of national capital required for the events will likely be invested in a more environment friendly

2018 FIFA

2018 FIFA

manner. The GEF has learned that by establishing projects like these well in advance and taking the time to plan, world events can act as a successful launch pad for technology adoption and transfer, putting in place the innovative technologies and practices that can have a substantial positive impact on climate change. As of October 2012, the GEF has allocated more than $38 million and leveraged more than $556 million to develop, demonstrate, and implement environmentally sound technologies and initiatives for world events in developing

2018 FIFA

countries. This leverage of funding provides the resources needed to incorporate advanced technologies during infrastructure building, effectively achieving more than any one organization that could achieve alone.

Through its experience in greening world events, the GEF has learned how to use these international gatherings to make lasting positive changes in developing countries and transition economies — not only in physical infrastructure, but in the millions of minds who have the power to mitigate the negative human contribution to climate change.