Tuesday 30 July 2024
Paris Olympics wins gold in sustainability
The International Olympic Committee, the owner of the Olympic Games have set ambitious net zero targets for the 2024 Summer Olympics, currently being held in Paris.
The Games aim to halve their carbon footprint compared to the average of London 2012 and Rio 2016, 3.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
According to the World Economic Forum, 90% of the signage used for the Games is either reused or recycled, there is a 50% reduction on single-use plastic and 100% of uneaten food is recycled.
The Olympics and Paralympics have also developed a funding programme for projects aimed at capturing and removing carbon emissions, to offset unavoidable emissions.
This includes a new reforesting project that will reforest 1,340 hectares on the Pierrelaye-Bessancourt plain in the Ile-de-France region and three projects to restock degraded forests, in Montmorency in the Vosges and in the Aisne.
Marie Barsacq, Executive Director of Impact and Legacy for Paris 2024, said: 'Organising spectacular Games is important but it is also important to organise responsible Games – socially, economically and environmentally.
'We really want the Games to benefit a large population by addressing key societal issues such as education, inclusion, health, equality and solidarity.'
Despite their efforts, the Games cannot reduce on a major source of emissions - spectator travel. When a major sporting event occurs, spectators globally rush to buy travel tickets which increases travel emissions for the particular time period.
Nevertheless, the organisers are hoping to meet their goals by working alongside several sustainability bodies and setting standards including ISO 20221, a standard for sustainable event management and the OECD Guides on Impact Assessment which measures the long term impact of the Olympic Games.
