Paris Olympics to create 'greenest Olympics'

In recent years, low-carbon environmental protection and green competition have become one of the "standard fittings" of international sports competitions. As the Games get underway in Paris, organizers say they want to deliver a spectacular event while reducing the use of materials and energy to create the "greenest Games."
In the process of preparing for the event, the Paris Olympic Organizing committee has put forward an ambitious environmental goal: to reduce carbon emissions by 50% compared with the last two Summer Olympic Games, controlled within about 1.75 million tons. Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris Organizing Committee, said it was a promise Paris had made to the world and "we will work hard to fulfil it." In order to achieve the goal, the Paris Olympic Games took great care to adopt environmental protection measures covering the construction of venues, living environment, transportation and food.
Making full use of existing venues and building as few new ones as possible is a major feature of the Paris Olympics. It is reported that most of the events of this Olympic Games are held in existing venues and temporary venues, and only three new venues have been built.
The eight temporary venues are located near the Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde, Les Invalides and other historic sites in Paris. Organizers plan for the recycling of temporary venues and equipment - a lot of things are rented, and 90 percent of the equipment has a chance to be reused.
It is worth mentioning that some venues of the Paris Olympic Games will use environmentally friendly seats made of recycled plastic waste. It is reported that about 11,000 eco-friendly seats will be installed in these venues. They are provided by a French ecological construction company, and through thermal compression and other technologies, hundreds of tons of renewable plastic is converted into boards, and finally made into seats.
The Olympic Village will also make full use of existing facilities. For example, the film studio was converted into an athlete training room, and the resources of local medical schools were used to establish a polyclinic. Above the transfer hall in the Olympic Village, a temporary solar photovoltaic roof has been installed. The canopy not only provides shade for the athletes, but also provides power to nearby buildings.
The Olympic Village is also fully designed for use after the games. After the Paris Games, about 25 percent of the apartments will become public housing, and the rest will become affordable housing for low-income people and students.
According to statistics, transportation accounts for one-third of the total carbon emissions estimated for major international sports events. To this end, the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee has taken great pains to save energy and reduce emissions in transportation.
Earlier, Paris announced restrictions on the number of private cars during the Games and advised visitors to prioritize public transport. When the Games begin, zero-emission buses will be on standby to transport spectators with Olympic tickets. 85% of the venues will be within half an hour's drive of the Olympic Village, and the travel time for athletes will be kept as short as possible.
It is understood that in order to allow more people to "green travel", the Ile-de-France region where Paris is located has built 400 kilometers of new Olympic bicycle lanes, equipped with 46,000 shared bicycles, and deployed 27,000 bicycle parking Spaces, of which 10,000 parking Spaces and some bicycle lanes will be permanently retained as the Olympic legacy for long-term energy conservation and carbon reduction.
In this regard, International Cycling Federation President Lapatian praised: "During the Paris Olympic Games, the whole Paris is an 'open museum', through cycling can be the closest to feel the beauty of Paris."
Olympic food is also in the direction of low-carbon environmental protection efforts. According to the report, 13 million meals are expected to be served during the Paris Olympics, which meet three criteria: 80% of the ingredients are sourced locally in France; Increase the proportion of vegetarians, the supply of vegetables is twice that of previous Olympics; Reduce waste by providing 100% recycled cutlery.
In addition, for those unavoidable carbon emissions, the Paris organizing committee said that it will help to neutralize carbon emissions by financing projects around the world that help fight global warming, such as afforestation and renewable energy development projects.
However, some of Paris's environmental practices have also caused controversy, such as the Olympic village does not have air conditioning, but uses an underground cooling system to pump cold water into the apartments, allowing indoor and outdoor temperature differences of 6 to 10 degrees Celsius. The IOC called on all parties to find a balance between environmental protection, athlete comfort and fair competition. In the end, the Paris organizing committee agreed to a compromise, allowing delegations to buy or lease air conditioners at their own expense.
It is not the first time in Olympic history that the Paris Olympics have made a big environmental article. In fact, as early as the 1970s, the International Olympic Committee began to put forward environmental requirements for the Olympic Games. The Olympic Charter, which came into force in July 1996, has included environmental protection as one of the IOC's mandates.
During the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, "Green Olympics" became one of the ideas of hosting the Games. At that time, a green fleet composed of new electric vehicles such as pure electric, hybrid and fuel cell was launched in the Olympic Central area, achieving zero emissions and winning unanimous praise at home and abroad.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have also taken a number of initiatives on the environmental front. For example, recycled metal was used to make Olympic MEDALS, the Olympic torch was made of aluminum waste from temporary housing after the massive earthquake in eastern China, and volunteer clothing included sustainable materials.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach believes that climate change is "one of the greatest threats to the future of sport" : "Climate change is increasingly affecting where, when and how events are held." The green practices of the Paris Olympics set a new benchmark for environmental responsibility and demonstrated how to deliver global sporting events in an era of accelerating climate change. It is not only a legacy of sportsmanship, but also a preview of future lifestyles."