Skip to main content
Energy

2024 Olympics sees its eco-friendly goals face accusations of ‘greenwashing’

Share

The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics have been promoted as the most eco-friendly Games ever. However, experts are raising concerns about the effectiveness of these sustainability commitments, calling them “greenwashing.”

Paris organizers have set a goal to halve the carbon emissions of this year’s Games compared to previous Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and London. To achieve this, they are investing over $16 million in carbon credits to offset the emissions generated during the event. This involves funding climate-friendly projects worldwide to compensate for the pollution in Paris.

QR code for SAN app download

Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.

Point phone camera here

“As climate change accelerates, the Games’ response to it must do the same,” Marie Sallois, IOC director for sustainability, said. “The Paris 2024 organizers are stepping up to the challenge, and they are doing so by focusing first and foremost on the core part of addressing it: by cutting emissions.”

Some of these credit-generating projects have faced scrutiny from environmental watchdogs over the legitimacy of their claimed benefits. Organizations like Earth Day and Carbon Market Watch have questioned the transparency of the Olympics’ emissions assessment and whether the purchased carbon credits will effectively balance out the pollution they are meant to offset.

“Though commendable, the Paris 2024 climate strategy aim to minimize the event’s carbon footprint is incomplete, and falls short of achieving transparency,” Carbon Market Watch said in a statement. “Transparency regarding carbon credit purchases is lacking, hindering public engagement and an assessable oversight of the event’s environmental responsibility.”

In addition to carbon credits, the Games aim to meet a 100% renewable energy goal through another form of emissions offsetting. The use of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) means that the electricity used in the stadiums may not come directly from renewable sources. Instead, the Olympics will pay for green energy to be produced elsewhere. The New Climate Institute has noted that this practice can lead to significant misrepresentation of reported energy emissions from users of these certificates.

Despite the criticisms, the Olympics have introduced measures to address some of these renewable energy sourcing concerns. It is using blockchain technology to ensure that the power consumed from non-renewable sources during the Games is accurately matched and injected back into France’s power grid from domestic clean power providers.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

[JACK AYLMER]

THE 20-24 SUMMER OLYMPICS IN PARIS PROMISED TO BE THE MOST ECO-FRIENDLY GAMES EVER.

BUT EXPERTS SAY THOSE SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENTS ARE JUST A BUNCH OF GREENWASHING.

WITH LONDON AND RIO IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR – THE GOAL OF PARIS ORGANIZERS WAS TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS OF THIS YEAR’S GAMES – BY HALF. 

TO DO THIS, THEY’RE SPENDING MORE THAN 16-MILLION-US-DOLLARS ON CARBON CREDITS TO OFFSET WHAT WILL BE EMITTED DURING THE GAMES.

ESSENTIALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE OLYMPICS WILL BE FUNDING CLIMATE FRIENDLY PROJECTS AROUND THE WORLD IN ORDER TO MAKE UP FOR POLLUTION HAPPENING IN PARIS.

HOWEVER, SOME OF THESE CREDIT GENERATING PROJECTS HAVE BEEN SCRUTINIZED BY ENVIRONMENTAL WATCHDOGS OVER CLAIMS ABOUT THE BENEFITS THEY DELIVER.

GROUPS LIKE EARTH DAY AND CARBON MARKET WATCH CALLED OUT THE TRANSPARENCY OF THE OLYMPICS EMISSIONS ASSESSMENT-

QUESTIONING WHETHER THE PURCHASED CARBON CREDITS WILL ACTUALLY BALANCE OUT THE AMOUNT OF POLLUTION THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO.

THE GAMES WILL ALSO BE USING ANOTHER FORM OF OFFSETTING EMISSIONS TO MEET ITS 100 PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY GOAL- 

A PLAN THAT HAS RECEIVED SIMILAR CRITICISM.

IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS CLAIM OF POWERING THE OLYMPICS ON COMPLETELY CLEAN POWER HAPPEN, RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES WILL HAVE TO BE RELIED ON.

MEANING THE ELECTRICITY USED TO TURN THE LIGHTS ON IN THESE STADIUMS DOESN’T NECESSARILY COME DIRECTLY FROM A RENEWABLE SOURCE- 

THE OLYMPICS ARE JUST PAYING FOR THAT GREEN ENERGY TO GET MADE ELSEWHERE.

THE NEW CLIMATE INSTITUTE SAYS THIS PRACTICE OFTEN RESULTS IN SIGNIFICANTLY MISREPRESENTED EMISSIONS DATA BECAUSE IT ALLOWS FOR THE CONTINUED USE OF NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES.

OLYMPIC ORGANIZERS DO HAVE ANSWERS FOR SOME OFF THAT PUSHBACK.

NOW USING BLOCKCHAIN TECH TO ENSURE WHATEVER POWER THEY CONSUME FROM NON-RENEWABLE SOURCES IS ACCURATELY MATCHED AND INJECTED BACK INTO FRANCE’S POWER GRID.

THERE ARE FEW SPORTING EVENTS IN THE WORLD THAT CAN PRODUCE A CARBON FOOTPRINT ON PAR WITH WHAT SOME NATIONS EMIT IN A YEAR.

BUT, THAT’S THE CURRENT REALITY OF THE OLYMPICS-

AND IT’S A PROBLEM WE’RE LIKELY GOING TO HEAR DISCUSSED AGAIN AHEAD OF FUTURE GAMES.

JACK AYLMER – STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.