Paris opening ceremony breaks with tradition

Last Friday (26^th July) the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris got underway to much fanfare with an opening ceremony which broke away from tradition and kicked off what looks set to be the most environmentally conscious Olympics in history.

Rather than hosting the opening ceremony in a stadium, organisers brought the spectacle to Paris’ streets, with the banks of the river Seine packed with spectators from across the globe. The centrepiece was a flotilla of boats carrying an estimated 10,500 athletes and representatives from each of the nation’s participating in the event[i].

Setting the tone for what promises to be a sustainability-conscious Games, each of the 90 plus boats were powered either by electric or hybrid engines. In fact the Games are the first to be fully aligned with Olympic Agenda 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s strategic roadmap which will shape the future of the Olympic Games to make them more sustainable, cost-effective and sympathetic to the needs of host cities and communities. At the heart of the 2024 Games sits the concept of "doing more with less" and in line with this, the major environmental measures taken for Paris 2024 include the following:

1.      Circularity and halving the carbon footprint of the Games

One major target for Paris is to leave a carbon footprint which is half that of the average footprint left by both the London 2012 Games and the Rio 2016 Olympics, aligning with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. In addition the event will account for all carbon emissions (scopes 1, 2 and 3), as well as incorporating the idea of a circular economy with reductions in use of resources (compared with previous games), employing eco-design, and ensuring a second-life for resources used- such as renting equipment, or making sure new goods have a use case after the Olympics have finished[ii].

2.      Local and plant-based food

To cut the carbon footprint of food at Paris 2024 the organisers have been eager to improve the offering of plant-based food for spectators, doubling this versus recent Olympic Games. In addition, the Paris Olympics will see a 50% reduction in single-use plastics in catering (compared to London 2012), alongside the reuse of 100% of catering equipment and infrastructure after the Games. Further, beverage fountains have been installed by Olympic Partner Coca-Cola, as well as free drinking water points with spectators allowed to bring reusable bottles into the venues – an exception to French regulations.

3.      Harnessing renewable energy

The Paris Olympics hopes to use locally sourced, 100% renewable energy, with all venues connected to the grid, meaning that there is no need for temporary diesel generators. Additional renewable energy sources have also been added, including solar panels installed on the Aquatics Centre roof and within the Olympic Village. Further, geothermal cooling systems are being used at the Olympic Village instead of traditional air conditioning, improving energy efficiency.

4.      A commitment to building less & reusing what already exists

A key aspect of Paris 2024’s sustainability and carbon reduction strategy centres around the use of existing or temporary venues, rather than building new stadia or facilities (something which has been more prevalent in previous Games). This means that just 5% of the total venues for Paris 2024 are new construction, with the remaining 95% being facilities that either already exist or have been temporarily assembled to be dismantled for future reuse after the Games. This aligns with the IOC’s recommendation to minimise new construction and forms a critical part of the goal to halve the carbon footprint of the Games. Even in cases where new construction has been required, such as the Aquatics Centre, care has been taken to make the facilities as environmentally friendly as possible, for example installing seats made from recycled plastic bottle caps, using locally sourced materials like French wood for the frame and structure, and designing the building with a concave roof to naturally heat the air, control humidity levels and reduce the amount of space to be heated.

Climate risk looms over future Games, particularly the Winter Olympics

Highlighting the threat that climate plays, just four days into the Paris Games and training for the men’s triathlon has been hampered, with the main event now postponed due to polluted waters in the River Seine, caused by excessive levels of rainfall over Friday and much of the weekend[iii]. It highlights the part climate plays within sport and shows that the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 is crucial given the risk climate change poses to future events.

For example, it was particularly poignant that the last Winter Olympic Games held in Beijing in 2022 were the first to take place on almost 100% artificial snow, and depending on how climate change progresses, this scenario could become the norm for future Winter Games. A scientific paper published in ‘Current Issues in Tourism’ in 2022 found that if the world continued its current emission pathways, two-thirds of all Winter Olympic venues used for international competitions may become unreliable for use between 2071 and 2100. However, if the Paris Agreement emissions targets were met instead, the proportion of unreliable venues would rise from 19% of already unreliable venues between 1981 and 2010 to 29%[iv].

References

[i] Olympic Games Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony: All you need to know (olympics.com)

[ii] All you need to know about Paris 2024 sustainability (olympics.com)

[iii] River Seine: Olympic officials postpone men’s triathlon due to pollution | CNN

[iv] As the Emilia-Romagna region faces ‘apocalyptic’ flooding, the subsequent cancellation of the Imola Grand Prix will raise concern with sports organisers across the world (zerocarbonacademy.com)

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