The organizing committee is on course to make the Paris Olympics in France the most eco-friendly and vegetarian ever.
The event, which starts on July 28, 2024 in summer heat, will use cool water pumping systems instead of air conditioners.
Hence, carbon emissions will be just 50% of those in the London and Rio games in 2012 and 2016 respectively.
Besides, the Paris Olympics will also be one of the first mass sporting events to reduce building of new stadiums. The City of Lights will instead rely on makeshift venues to cut emissions, which it will reuse or recycle later.
One of these temporary venues is at central Paris’ Place de la Concorde square, which has decided to go 100% vegetarian.
As the biggest public square in France’s capital, the landmark-surrounded city square wants to carry a good climatic image at the Olympics. The venue will host skateboarding, breakdancing and basketball games.
Other than Place de la Concorde, permanent stadiums and Olympic villages around Paris will offer low-meat diets to visitors.
Then Why ACs at Paris Olympics?
Despite this promise, the hosts have heeded stifling heat warnings from scientists and will provide a few air-conditioners.
However, the installation costs and bills will go to participating countries such as the United States, the UK, Italy and Japan. These nations fear of heat stress for their athletes and have decided to chip into their welfare.
This also means that most athletes from developing countries out of a total 10,000 participants will go AC-free.
Food Mostly Vegetarian, 80% from France
Diet at the summer Olympics and the September 2024 Paralympics in Paris will consist mainly vegetables, cheeses and fresh-baked bread.
According to a May 1, 2024 story by the Associated Press, 80% of all meals will be from French sources.
Cheese will be a mixture of the famous local camembert and the milk of sheep from the Alpines. Plant-based food such as veggies will, on the other hand, represent 60% of all meals at the games.
On the eco-friendly front, utensils will be only reusable containers in the main temporary restaurant at the Olympic Village.
So, the Paris Olympics mark a new climate-themed era with the first 100% vegetarian service at a sporting event. And as the statistics below show, this is an honor that reflects France’s recent history of eco-friendly practices.
France Carbon Emissions Statistics
France has seen significant reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GhG) emissions in recent years. This is mainly due to reliance on its eco-friendly nuclear system that produces 60% of the national electricity grid. This clean energy source has helped France cut emissions by 25% between 1990 and 2021. By 2027, coal-fueled electricity production will end in France and hence further cut emissions.
How does France rank in carbon emissions worldwide?
In 2022, France had a medium emission volume of 315.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), up from 2020’s 286.34 million tonnes. The country ranked 21st in world emissions per capita at 4.76 million tonnes, up from 4.36 million tonnes in 2020. Comparably, the top two emitters, China and the United States, each had emission volumes above the 1 billion-tonne mark. China emitted 11.68 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2020, to U.S.’ 5.535 billion tonnes. China’s emissions went up to 12.667 billion tonnes in 2022, while those by the U.S. lowered to 4.853 billion tonnes.
How does France rank in agricultural emissions?
France had the biggest agricultural economy in Europe in 2020, with 18% of continental production. In 2021, agriculture tied the industrial sector as the second biggest domestic emitter at 19% of all national emissions. However, this was just a 1.1% fraction of global agricultural emissions in 2021. Between 2015 and 2018, France’s agricultural carbon emissions fell yearly by at least 0.09 million tonnes and totaled 1.02 million tonnes.
Which is France’s emissions vision for Paris 2024 Olympics?
France will go “carbon -neutral” at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The games seek to cut emissions by 50% below those of the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.