Setting New Standards for Sustainable Olympic Games

Source-This post on Setting New Standards for Sustainable Olympic Games has been created based on the article “Olympics 2024: Rings coloured green” published in “The Indian Express” on 27 July 2024.

UPSC Syllabus-GS Paper-3- Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

Context– Paris will host the 33rd Olympic Games in 2024, making it the greenest Games ever. With the planet experiencing record temperatures, the Olympics is stressing the urgent need to tackle climate change. As the Earth warms and more areas become uninhabitable, hosting mega events like the Olympics will become increasingly unsustainable

A report released on the opening day of the Olympics, “Three Years of Progress: A Review of Sustainability across the 2021-2024 Olympic Cycle,” highlights that the past three years have seen rapid progress in sports and sustainability since Tokyo 2020. Almost every sports federation is now focusing on environmental sustainability.

What is Paris 2024’s sustainability initiatives for the Olympic Games?

1) Emission Reduction Goals- Previous Olympics (Tokyo, Rio, London) emitted around 3.5 million tonnes of CO2. Paris 2024 aims to cut this in half, targeting 1.75 million tonnes.

2) Sustainable Infrastructure- 95% of Paris 2024 events will use existing buildings, minimizing new construction to reduce environmental impact

3) Energy Sources– The Athletes’ Village will use geothermal and solar energy, and stadiums will rely on the public electricity grid instead of diesel generators.

4) Sustainable Practices– Paris 2024 will focus on recycling, reusing, and reducing materials, including beds made from recycled cardboard like Tokyo’s. They’ll offer more plant-based and local foods and introduce 1,000 km of cycle lanes to encourage low-carbon living.

Read More- India’s Bid to host Olympics 2036

What are the Challenges?

1) Carbon Emissions from Air Travel- There are concerns about carbon emissions from visitor air travel and the effectiveness of offsetting projects.

2) Adaptation to Climate Realities– Paris had to install 2,500 temporary cooling units for athletes due to extreme heat, instead of being AC-free as planned.

Question for practice

What are the sustainability initiatives for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and what challenges do they face?