How Sustainable are the Paris 2024 Olympic Games?
July 25 , 2024
will the sporting showpiece be the greenest ever
With the Opening Ceremony on Friday (26 July) of Paris 2024, focus will soon be upon the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is the biggest event in the world and will hold the attention of billions across the planet. But how sustainable will it be?
This year’s Games are, according to the organisers, going to be the “greenest in the event’s history”, and potentially will set a new standard for sustainability in sports events. This commitment to environmental responsibility presents an excellent opportunity to showcase eco-friendly practices on a global scale, hopefully inspiring positive change in future large-scale sporting events.
With roughly 800 Olympic sporting events on the horizon, and with Paris set to welcome 15,000 athletes, 45,000 volunteers, and millions of spectators, the organisers have a tall order ahead of them. Let’s look at how their sustainability ambitions shape up and what, if successful, they could mean for the planet.
The Green Vision of Paris 2024
Paris 2024 has made sustainability a crucial pillar of its Olympic strategy, recognising the unique opportunity to educate the world about environmental responsibility. The organising committee's ambitious goals include halving the event's carbon footprint compared to previous Summer Games, limiting emissions to 1.58 million tonnes of CO2, using low-carbon construction methods and materials, promoting circularity, encouraging sustainable travel and public transport, enhancing local ecosystems, and increasing plant-based food availability. These initiatives demonstrate a comprehensive approach to sustainability that could set a new standard for future large-scale events.