The Paris 2024 edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games aspires to be remembered as the most sustainable ever. The Organizing Committee has set a goal of halving CO2 emissions compared to London 2012 and Rio 2016, thus continuing the path taken by Tokyo in 2020, which had also experienced a substantial decrease in its carbon footprint because of Covid (Read also: Zero-emissions Games-Paris 2024). Indeed, although this is an event with a thousand-year history and global reach, solutions need to be found to mitigate the negative effects that can result from such a sporting event. Practices implemented by the French capital's organization and governance contemplate the use of renewable energy, reduction of single-use plastics, and sustainable infrastructure and transportation.
Among the most relevant initiatives, the City of Paris has decided to promote the use of reusable cups and containers to replace traditional PET bottles, contributing to the fight against plastic pollution. The commitment had been confirmed by Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who stated how the city intended to ban single-use plastic during the Games (Read also: La maire de Paris Anne Hidalgo annonce un objectif de zéro plastique à usage unique). Following Tokyo's example, cardboard beds were then proposed again, designed to simplify transportation and allow them to be reused. The mattresses, on the other hand, made from recycled fishing line and plastic, will be donated to various organizations at the end of the event, including the French army, the Emmaüs association, the Paris Opera ballet college and the Tsuji hotel school (Source: Wired). As for transportation, the organization has put in place actions that facilitate car-free travel and favor the use of electric vehicles, bicycles and public transportation. Finally, Paris 2024 has chosen for its Olympic Village to use existing constructions or create buildings intended for a second life. The project was designed in a 'brownfield and degraded area in order to redevelop it and make it available to citizens to continue along the line of promoting long-term green practices.
But the question on everyone's mind is, "How can an event of global scale be called sustainable?" Indeed, while the effort and commitment to make these Olympics more sustainable is to be applauded, the significant environmental impact that is generated by air mobility, infrastructural transformations and resource consumption cannot be overlooked. According to the Comité d'Organisation des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques (COJOP), the number of tourists expected in Paris for the year's sporting event is around 15 million (Source: Euromonitor International), a number that has unavoidable consequences both on waste management, whose production remains high, and on travel, which causes an increase in polluting emissions into the atmosphere.
In conclusion, in order to be able to talk about a sustainable zero-impact model, one would have to reevaluate the way the event itself is conducted and depart from the approaches that have characterized the organizations of sports events to date. One example would be to create a diffuse event or apply thresholds for access to sites to reduce visitor pressure in a single area.
Beatrice Fontana
Angela Pia Zizzamia