Punjab association to host first carbon neutral IPL match

CHANDIGARH - The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium in Mohali town will host cricket’s first-ever carbon neutral match Friday evening between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab.

The green game is being organised by the Indian Premier League (IPL) as part of the ‘batting for the environment’ initiative, launched in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) last month.

Both players and organisers are quite enthusiastic about this match.

“We all need a better and green planet to live in and I am proud to be a part of this exciting environment-related initiative. I look forward to participating in many more climate neutral cricket games in the future,” skipper of Kings XI Punjab Kumara Sangakara told reporters here.

The PCA has ensured that the carbon footprint from the game will be kept as low as possible by offsetting an estimated 580 tonnes of match-related CO2 emissions. The unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions will be compensated by investment in climate protection projects.

According to PCA officials, nearly $10,150 will go towards supporting a residual biomass project in Rajasthan.

“It is really great that we have got an opportunity to host and fund the first-ever climate neutral cricket game. PCA is delighted to be a part of this new green era for cricket,” PCA president I.S. Bindra said.

“This step will certainly become a trendsetter in the world. Cricket is making money just because of people and through such activities we can give something back to public. It is our social responsibility to play our part in this green movement,” he said.

While calculating the amount of emissions that will be generated from this match, UNEP and PCA have taken into account the travel, accommodation and food consumption of all the players, officials and fans travelling to the stadium.

This match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab will be the first of five climate-neutral games that will be played under the ‘batting for the environment’ initiative.

Theodore Oben, chief of UNEP’s outreach unit, told reporters: “We are assisting the IPL in calculating the greenhouse gas emissions. We are looking at ways to save our natural resources by looking at a variety of elements including stadium lights, transport and refreshments.”

“Other sports like football and in Olympics are already very concerned about environment and they are doing many things in this direction. Cricket is a huge sport that reaches to millions of people so we are very happy with this initiative,” said Oben.