Olympic torch relay in front of the Greek Parliament, in Athens, in April 2024. ALKIS KONSTANTINIDIS / REUTERS
This post is taken from the newsletter ” Human warmth “, sent every Tuesday at 12 p.m. Every week, journalist Nabil Wakim, who hosts the Chaleur Humaine podcast, answers questions from Internet users on the climate challenge. You can register for free by clicking here.
The question of the week
” Good morning. I remember one of your podcast guests said that he thought that from a climate point of view, it was a mistake to host the Olympic Games in Paris and I found that excessive. But it made me think about the impact (…) of the Games. Is it possible for the Olympic Games to aim for carbon neutrality? » (Question asked by Fred at chaud [email protected])
My answer : No, it is not possible for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to achieve “carbon neutrality”, that is to say, to have a balance between the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the Olympics and the absorption of carbon from the atmosphere by carbon sinks. Moreover, the Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Cojop) claimed this objective for a time before abandoning it, deeming it unrealistic. (The episode you are referring to is an episode on adaptation to climate change, which you can listen to again by clicking here)
1/What is the climate objective that the Games have set?
After initially promising a “positive contribution” to climate change, and “carbon neutral” Games, the Cojop renounced these designations, considered vague and unserious by many experts. This change in communication is well explained in this article by my colleague Stéphane Mandard.
The Paris Olympics have a “carbon budget”: a total of 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 not to be exceeded, a drop of 55% compared to the average for Rio de Janeiro and London. The Games will therefore emit a lot of CO2 – the equivalent of 150,000 French people in one year – but above all try to be more reasonable than others. To really change the situation, we would have to rethink the way in which the Olympics are organized, with all the events centralized in a single city, several experts believe.
2/What will be their real carbon footprint?
We do not know yet. In theory, the organizers estimate that the carbon impact of the Olympic Games is divided into three parts: 34% for the travel of spectators, athletes and officials, 33% for construction and 33% for operations (including catering, logistics, etc.). A report published in April by Eclaircies and Carbon Market Watch analyzes these three commitments in detail. He explains very clearly that certain efforts have been made on construction – few new buildings mean few additional greenhouse gas emissions. In terms of catering, a real effort is planned to offer vegetarian options with local supplies.
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2024-05-04 08:30:10
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