The Green Games: Paris’s Ambitious Sustainability Push in Olympics 2024

The Paris 2024 Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, aim to be a landmark event not just in sports, but also in sustainability.

While the world awaits the athletic feats and national pride of the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, another important aspect is gaining attention: the Green Games initiative.

The "Green Games" refer to the ambitious sustainability efforts undertaken by the Paris 2024 Olympics. This ambitious effort aims to make Paris 2024 the most sustainable Olympics ever, setting a new standard for future events.

In this article, we will delve into the intrinsic details of the sustainable Paris Olympics 2024.

The Olympics 2024:

The world is turning its attention to Paris from July 26th to 11th August, as the city of lights is prepping to host the most prestigious global games- The Olympics.

The esteemed sporting event will together athletes from around the world to compete in more than 30 games and 329 individual events. 

The country is also hosting Paralympic Games from August 28th to September 8th 2024.

The Paris Olympics of 2024 will witness several historic firsts, including the debut of Breakdancing, also known as Breaking, and an emphasis on gender neutrality. However, the most significant milestone is the focus on sustainability. Paris 2024 aims to set a new standard as the most eco-friendly Olympic Games ever. The Paris 2024 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (COJO 2024) have set ambitious goals for this summer Olympics. the organisers plan to reduce carbon emission by 50% and use renewable energy throughout the event.

Cut Carbon Emission in Half:

Paris being a sustainable city on its own, plans to replicate the same in their Olympic hosting ritual. The country plans to cut the carbon emission in half in alignment with the Paris Agreement on climate change.

To achieve so, the nation is reusing its old venues or constructing temporary structures, creating sustainable menus, urging spectators and athletes to use public transport and include sustainable water management practices.

100% renewable energy utilization:

Apart from halving carbon footprint, the nation also wishes to step up the concept of green games by a notch by deriving the entire event on one hundred percent renewable energy. It is estimated that the initiative would avert the emission of 13,000 tonnes of carbon emission, which would otherwise be emitted through diesel generators.

World’s first Olympic to Contribute Positively to the Environment:

The IOC intends to make the Paris Olympics more than just an event—it aims to have a positive impact on the environment.

The Paris 2024 anticipated the average amount of carbon dioxide produced during the previous games stand at around 3.5 million tonnes of CO₂. Hence, the goal is for this Olympic event is to absorb more carbon than they produce, marking a historic first for the Olympics.

This will be achieved by:

• Employing low-carbon menus: The menus will incorporate more plant-based meals to minimise meat consumption to reduce carbon emission produced by preparing and consuming meat products.
• Sustainable structures: More than 95% of all the venues at the summer Olympics are either pre-existing or make-shift structures. This moderation approach reduces the impact not only on the climate but also on the environment. The organizers aim to minimize carbon emissions even during the construction of new venues like the Aquatics Centre, which also incorporates concept of sustainability in its design.
• Promote public transport: Paris 2024 takes into account the broadest category of emissions—Scope 3—which covers indirect impacts like travel by spectators. Hence, the athletes, spectators and the staff are promoted to employ public transport to commute during the event. This will reduce carbon footprint produced by individual vehicles. Apart from this, Paris 2024 is also exploring options to transport staff through electric and hybrid vehicles.
• Sustainable water management practices: The event is investing heavily on rainwater harvesting and rainwater conservation technologies to ensure safe water practices are followed throughout the event. Additionally, to beat extreme summer heat during the Olympics, oral or intravenous rehydration, ice towels, air blowers, and cold-water emersion techniques will be used instead of conventional air conditioning to protect environment.
• Residual emission elimination: Despite employing all these measures, not all of the emission can be offset. Hence, tree plantation, restoration of forests and oceans are also the part of sustainable goals to minimise carbon emission.

Conclusion:

It is refreshing to witness amalgamation of sustainability in the most popular gaming event in the world. The hundred percent use of renewable energy and dramatic reduction in carbon emissions through deploying simple practices, such as use of cold towels for beating the heat to incorporating extensive measures such as residual emission elimination practices, the Paris Olympics are set to set new sustainability records for the future of sporting industry.

In addition to these initiatives, Paris is meticulously addressing even the most remote emissions, including those categorized under Scope 3. This dedication to sustainability aligns with its remarkable rise in global rankings, jumping from 55th place to 21st in just one year, which underscores its commitment and seriousness towards environment sustainability.