Why are the Paris 2024 Olympic Games being hailed as the most sustainable Olympics?

by Jhill Vaidya

Paris 2024 Olympics aim to halve this number setting a target of 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, which is part of a broader effort to make the Olympic Games more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

This year, the Olympics will be hosted in Paris, France. The event will take place from July 24, 2024, to August 11, 2024.

image source: Paris 2024 Olympic Venues | Paris 2024 (olympics.com)

Every time a country hosts the Olympics, they use this opportunity to represent their country’s history or something about them. Paris has made the 2024 Olympic Games different than usual with a focus on sustainability.

The impact of the Olympic Games on the environment has been a significant cause for concern. This is primarily due to the extensive travel involving athletes, spectators, and officials, as well as the construction of infrastructure and venues, and the substantial energy consumption during these large-scale global events.

For instance, the 2012 Olympics in London had an estimated carbon footprint of 3.3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. But Paris aims to set a positive example for future Olympic Games this year.

The Paris 2024 method utilizes a new model to calculate the carbon footprint of an event. Rather than simply predicting and addressing the footprint after the fact, Paris 2024 sets a “target carbon footprint” and implements bold actions to ensure compliance. Their sustainability credentials has been divided into three parts – environmental, social and economic sustainability.

To accelerate the environmental transformation of the world of sport, Paris 2024 wants to:

• accelerate the transformation of sporting events

• promote sustainable sporting structures

• harness sport to combat climate change

• raise awareness of the importance of a healthy diet for people and the planet

• harness sport to protect biodiversity

The committee has identified some observations to enhance environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Based on these observations, the committee has set some objectives:

Paris Olympics 2024 – The Most Sustainable Olympics ever

Breakdown of the Paris 2024 Games Budget

The Committee has allocated a budget of €52 million to implement Paris 2024’s Environmental Excellence strategy, demonstrating its commitment to hosting sustainable and environmentally friendly Games. This budget includes:

– €15 million for ensuring the Games are fully carbon neutral by offsetting any residual carbon emissions from the event;

– €13 million for implementing innovative environmental excellence policies (outlined in parts 1 and 2 of the present document);

– €24 million to help Paris 2024’s departments fulfill the various environmental excellence objectives.

This is how Paris is working towards its goal of reducing its carbon footprint:

1) Double the number of plant-based foods in the menu. -50% of single use plastic for food and beverages.

image source: Paris 2024 Olympic Venues | Paris 2024 (olympics.com)

2) The Aquatics Centre is the only sporting venue that will be built specifically for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 95% – temporary or pre-existing infrastructures

3) Seats in the centers will be made from recycled plastics. 100% of recycled metals in medals,

4) Paris Olympic Village will have 3500 apartments filled with 100% biobased materials with zero-emission vehicles. Family housing accessible at the athlete’s village