Paris 2024 Olympic Games: a model for the future?

The modern Olympic Games have often been criticized for their environmental impact, due to temporary infrastructures, intensive transport and often inadequate waste management. Although efforts are being made to make the Games more environmentally friendly, targets are rarely met.

Organizing an event is not without consequences for the host country - to name but a few:

- Higher energy bills,
- Increased movement of goods and people
- Construction of new structures,
- Increased television audiences,
- Waste production.

The challenges of GHG assessments

The organizing committee has implemented several initiatives to reduce the event's carbon footprint. Here are some of the main measures adopted:

📋 C arbon accounting to standard

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee is committed to developing carbon accounting tools, and has called on climate experts to form a Committee for the Ecological Transformation of the Games. These experts are trained in the Bilan Carbone® method and have developed a tool based on nearly 10,000 data points to measure the Games' carbon footprint.

🏗️ Use of sustainable materials and construction

Past editions of the Olympic Games held in various host cities have often been criticized for investing in costly construction projects with a negative environmental impact. Often, these infrastructures are not used sustainably. The Games in Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008 and Rio in 2016, as well as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, are sad examples. These buildings accounted for 50% of the carbon footprint of the London Games and 43% of that of the Rio Games.

The infrastructure for the Paris Games has been designed with a sustainable approach, taking into account the post-Games period. Of the 6 million items of goods and equipment used, 90% will be reused by suppliers and partners, giving them a second life. What's more, 95% of the infrastructures will be temporary or already existing, such as the Château de Versailles.

Solideo has opted for low-carbon construction techniques, notably using wooden structures, low-carbon concrete and recycled materials. Over the entire life cycle of the buildings, Solideo has noted a 47% reduction in carbon impact compared with conventional construction. For example, the Olympic Village will be built with certified wood and other low-impact materials, incorporating innovative technologies to reduce energy consumption and optimize energy efficiency.

The Solideo example highlights the need to target the main contributors to emissions throughout the event's lifecycle.

For the first time, Paris 2024 has chosen to take into account all the event's carbon emissions, both direct and indirect (scopes 1, 2 and 3). This includes indirect emissions linked to the manufacture and construction of infrastructures.

Renewable energy

In addition to an energy mix based mainly on nuclear power, a low-carbon source, France has chosen to emphasize renewable energies.

EDF is committed to supplying electricity from renewable sources (solar, wind and hydro in particular). Announced as a first in the history of the modern Olympic Games, the use of these energies is not new. Mills, aqueducts and other dams were already in existence when the flame burned in Olympia.

As a definite area for improvement, the Olympic sites will be connected to the existing electricity grid thanks to Enedis, avoiding the use of generators, commonly used in the event industry. By way of comparison, the London Olympics consumed 4 million liters of diesel to power their venues with generators. This model could reduce energy-related carbon emissions by 80% compared to a traditional sports event model.

Passenger transport

To minimize travel, all competition sites will be accessible by public transport. Those located in the Île-de-France region will be served by 4,155 km of cycle paths, accompanied by security services.
Car traffic has been rethought, with the number of vehicles reduced by a third compared with the average for previous Games, thanks to the optimization and pooling of their use.

As a definite improvement, the Olympic venues will be connected to existing electricity grids, avoiding the use of generators, commonly used in the event industry. By way of comparison, the London Olympics consumed 4 million liters of diesel to power their venues with generators.

Impact of digital technology

For digital equipment, 70% will be rented from among those deployed during the Games, with the guarantee of a second life for all these devices.

The organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are doing their best to reduce their GHG emissions, pledging to serve as a model for future global sporting events. While it's important to recognize the efforts made by the organizers and the joy that these Paris Games can bring to many people, such events seem to remain environmental nonsense. In the meantime, the carbon footprint of the Olympics, due to be published in October, will provide a more thoughtful critique of the event, and open up new avenues for action.