“What we see in the Olympics in general is the difference between rhetoric and actual facts,” said Martin Müller, lead author of the 2021 study. “And the problem is, most of the time, rhetoric takes precedence.”
The Washington Post spoke to experts for a reality check on whether the Paris goals are achievable. “It's possible,” says Muller, a professor of geography and sustainability at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. “I'm not going to question the validity of the goal.”
What Paris wants to achieve
The Paris Olympic organizing committee says it plans to hold the Games on a budget of 1.58 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. This is the same global warming impact as driving 376,000 cars a year.
Previous Olympics have used similar approaches to address and account for Games-related emissions, but none of the recent Games appear to have gone as far as Paris is planning. Organizers say they will achieve the planned reductions by reducing emissions in three categories: construction, transportation and operations.
Georgina Glennon, Director of Environmental Excellence at the Paris 2024 Games, said: “This was an opportunity for us to deliver the Games differently. This proves that the Games can be delivered differently. “But also to leave a legacy.”
New construction is usually a major source of emissions at the Games and can be controlled by organizers. Olympic host cities often splurge on building venues, arenas and other infrastructure, but organizers in Paris plan to primarily use existing or temporary infrastructure, Glennon said.
She added that their new constructions, such as the Olympic Village and Aquatic Center, produced 30 percent less carbon dioxide per square meter than a typical project in France today.
Experts said Paris' construction goals are achievable.
“In fact, reaching a 30% reduction is relatively easy,” said Victor Olgai, a construction expert at energy think tank RMI. For example, some studies show that builders can reduce emissions by nearly 50% at similar costs by using alternative materials in place of traditional cement, concrete and steel, he said. Ta.
To meet emissions targets, Paris built many structures, including underwater arenas, with wood, low-carbon cement, or materials recovered from demolition.
Nora Eslam, senior director of research at the U.S. Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, said strategies to reduce emissions from construction are “generally good practice and can keep carbon emissions low.” Ta. “We have the materials and we have the technology. These are not new things.”
Glennon said Paris organizers expect to sell 12.8 million tickets for the Olympics, and spectators will emit an estimated 395,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide while traveling.
This emissions estimate is lower than the budget for the 2012 London Olympics. The Olympics were expected to attract more than 11 million spectators and generate 456,000 tonnes of emissions, according to pre-Games reports. A post-tournament report found that the carbon footprint of London's spectators was even higher than expected, but it was not clear how much of that was due to travel.
“Visitor travel expectations seem relatively low,” Muller said. “Maybe we can do a similar trip in Paris.” [as London]. Globally, it's in a similar location to London. ”
Glennon said it was too early to know where the Paris crowd would come from or how they would travel. “That's still an estimate,” she said. “Not all tickets have been sold yet.”
Organizers cannot control how spectators travel to the tournament. All they can do is encourage fans, especially those from neighboring European countries, to travel by train whenever possible. Olympic partner Air France has signed a deal allowing fans from far-flung countries to book flights to France with rail connections to soccer destinations such as Bordeaux, Nantes, Lyon, Saint-Étienne, Nice, Marseille and Lille. is advertising. , handball and sailing events.
The Olympic Committee is looking for athletes who set a good example. Four national teams – the Netherlands, Great Britain, Belgium and Switzerland – have agreed to travel by train. Transport emissions by tournament officials and her 15,000 athletes are expected to be an additional 142,000 tonnes.
“Will this avoid transit or air travel?” [emissions] Jeez? Of course not,” Glennon said. “But at least we are trying to do what we can at this stage in 2024 to address this issue.”
As with the London and Rio Games, organizers in Paris are encouraging spectators to use public transport or bicycles to get around the city.
Olympic organizers say they have reduced energy emissions to virtually zero. According to official estimates, electricity and natural gas will account for less than 1% of the total footprint of the Games.
Part of the energy for the Games will be provided by solar panels dotted on the roofs of the Olympic Village, floating on the surface of the Seine and suspended above the new swimming stadium.
The rest will come from France's electricity grid, which is predominantly nuclear powered and has one of the lowest emissions in Europe. Olympic organizers have announced that they have signed a deal with France's state-owned electricity company, Electricity de France (EDF), to purchase renewable electricity equivalent to the electricity consumed during the Olympics.
EDF also created new backup electrical connections for the Olympic Stadium, increasing the reliability of the power supply. As a result, Paris organizers said the stadium would not run back-up diesel generators that are normally on standby in case of a power outage.
Organizers did not provide details about the Olympic torch, but said it would be unveiled at the opening ceremony. During the London Olympics, natural gas-burning torches consumed more energy than a single stadium, venue or apartment complex.
Muller said France's electricity is very clean, so it's not surprising that energy emissions are so low. Additionally, “most of the energy emissions are confined to a relatively short period of two weeks during the actual Olympic Games,” he said.
Further savings are possible if you can reduce the amount of energy needed to cool your building. In addition to planting thousands of trees across Paris, the city is installing misting and brightly colored streets and sidewalks to combat the summer heat. In recent years, France, like the rest of Europe, has weathered record heatwaves during the summer.
“They make a big difference,” Oljayi said. “It's going to be much cooler. Not only will you be more comfortable, but the building will be more comfortable as well, so the impact of heat on the building will be reduced.”
Games organizers said the Olympic Village, which features buildings with improved insulation, will use a geothermal water cooling system to further reduce energy use. Instead of traditional air conditioning, buildings rely on a network of pipes that circulate cooled water underground.
