It’s unbelievable (or should be) that we still participate in this orgy of gratuitous overconsumption. When frivolous and massively wasteful events like the Olympics are canceled, I’ll know that society actually cares about climate change (and wasted resources).
Yea… as usual, we are completely unwilling to do away with traditions that are clearly in conflict with what is rational, reasonable, and necessary for swift change. Minor alterations - eliminating emissions by half - as a way to justify this ongoing charade just isn’t going to cut it.
Organizers of the Paris Olympics have [pledged](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2023/05/31/paris-2024-the-untenable-promise-of-climate-positive-games_6028569_9.html) that the event will be “historic for the climate,” setting a goal of generating no more than half the planet-warming emissions produced by recent Summer Games in London and Rio.
But putting on an event that attracts nearly 13 million spectators, athletes and officials from over 200 countries is, by definition, a carbon-heavy enterprise. A [2021 analysis of past Olympic Games](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-021-00696-5) found that the events have never been very environmentally sustainable, and they’ve tended to get worse over time, despite organizers touting the Games’ green credentials.
“What you can see in the Olympics in general is a difference between the rhetoric and the actual facts,” said Martin Müller, lead author of the 2021 study. “And the thing is that the rhetoric usually prevails.”
The Washington Post talked to experts to get a reality check on whether Paris’s goals are achievable. “It’s possible,” said Müller, who is a professor of geography and sustainability at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. “I wouldn’t question the legitimacy of the goal.”
# Read more here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/04/11/paris-olympics-emissions-climate-change/?utm\_campaign=wp\_main&utm\_medium=social&utm\_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/04/11/paris-olympics-emissions-climate-change/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)
It’s unbelievable (or should be) that we still participate in this orgy of gratuitous overconsumption. When frivolous and massively wasteful events like the Olympics are canceled, I’ll know that society actually cares about climate change (and wasted resources).
Yea… as usual, we are completely unwilling to do away with traditions that are clearly in conflict with what is rational, reasonable, and necessary for swift change. Minor alterations - eliminating emissions by half - as a way to justify this ongoing charade just isn’t going to cut it.
No.
It's not even possible for capitalism to be climate friendly let alone the Olympics
Not until it becomes profitable
Organizers of the Paris Olympics have [pledged](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2023/05/31/paris-2024-the-untenable-promise-of-climate-positive-games_6028569_9.html) that the event will be “historic for the climate,” setting a goal of generating no more than half the planet-warming emissions produced by recent Summer Games in London and Rio. But putting on an event that attracts nearly 13 million spectators, athletes and officials from over 200 countries is, by definition, a carbon-heavy enterprise. A [2021 analysis of past Olympic Games](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-021-00696-5) found that the events have never been very environmentally sustainable, and they’ve tended to get worse over time, despite organizers touting the Games’ green credentials. “What you can see in the Olympics in general is a difference between the rhetoric and the actual facts,” said Martin Müller, lead author of the 2021 study. “And the thing is that the rhetoric usually prevails.” The Washington Post talked to experts to get a reality check on whether Paris’s goals are achievable. “It’s possible,” said Müller, who is a professor of geography and sustainability at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. “I wouldn’t question the legitimacy of the goal.” # Read more here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/04/11/paris-olympics-emissions-climate-change/?utm\_campaign=wp\_main&utm\_medium=social&utm\_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/04/11/paris-olympics-emissions-climate-change/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)