Far from us the desire to spoil the celebration that are these Olympic Games in Tokyo, which brighten up a decidedly rainy summer in metropolitan France. Nevertheless, this planetary event generates its share of greenhouse gas emissions. The Tokyo Olympics will issue
2.73 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, according to the official estimate measured according to a methodology used for the first time at the London Games. A little less even with this Covid-19 pandemic, which pushed Japan to block the arrival of foreign spectators. Bad news for the spirit of the Games, but which made it possible to avoid 340,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
2.40 million tonnes eq / CO2 for Tokyo without spectators
The carbon footprint of the Tokyo Olympics would therefore approach 2.40 million tonnes eqCO2. Not nothing. “This is the equivalent of the annual emissions of around 220,000 French people, or those generated by 1.2 million Paris-New York return flights by plane”, assesses Alexis Normand, co-founder and CEO of Greenly, a company specialized in the calculation of carbon balances. It’s still better than the London Olympics in 2012, and those in Rio in 2016, which both were around 3.50 million tonnes eq / CO2.
Greenly publishes, this Thursday, an in-depth study of the carbon footprint of this new Olympiad, comparing it with the last three editions. First surprise for Alexis Normand: “The absence of foreign spectators only reduced the carbon footprint of the Tokyo Olympics by 12.5%,” he notes. We could have expected more, knowing that these spectators [600.000 étaient initialement attendus] The vast majority come by plane, even more so when it comes to traveling to Japan. “
Is the construction of infrastructure a heavy weight in the carbon footprint?
Jérôme Lachaze, specialist in sustainable development in sport and currently responsible CSR at the house of
Automobile club de l’Ouest (organizer of the 24 hours of Le Mans), is less surprised. “In the carbon footprint of an Olympiad, it is the construction of event venues and other infrastructure that often turns out to be the primary source of CO2 emissions,” he explains.
This accounted for 50% of the carbon footprint of the London Olympics, 43% of those in Rio, confirms Greenly. In Tokyo, the share climbs to 55%, calculates Greenly. Of the 43 sites used, 25 were already there, ten are temporary and eight, therefore, were built from scratch and are intended to last after the Olympics. This is particularly the case of
Tokyo Aquatic Center or
Olympic Stadium.
The remainder of the carbon footprint is divided into a multitude of emission items. From energy consumption to the making of medals, including various ceremonies, distribution, advertising, logistics, etc.
11,000 athletes also to come
We must add the 11,000 athletes and their staffs who must come to Tokyo. By plane for the vast majority, again. Greenly went so far as to assess the carbon impact of sports and delegations based on the number of athletes they send to Japan and where they come from. “Athletics is thus the sport with the strongest imprint, with its 2,000 athletes in the running,” explains Alexis Normand. Gymnastics, the third event in terms of the number of athletes involved, is only eleventh in terms of emissions, due to the high proportion of Chinese and Japanese in contention. Unlike football, seventh for the number of athletes, but third for broadcasts, specialists in the discipline coming more from Europe, Africa or Latin America ** ”And on the delegation side, the United States and their 613 athletes have the worst record (900 tons of CO2e to travel to Japan), followed by Brazil and its 301 athletes (810 tons of CO2e).
Okay, but can we then reduce the carbon footprint of the Games without affecting the Olympic spirit? Because it wants that we select the best athletes of the moment, no matter where they come from, and that the host cities rotate trying not to make jealousy between the continents … There are still margins reduction for Jérôme Lachaze. “This is what the IOC is already doing by reducing the number of events and athletes present at the Games [on passera à 10.500 en 2024, 600 de moins qu’à Tokyo], he explains. The primary objective is often to reduce costs, but this also helps to reduce the emissions generated. In the same way, we are making more and more room for disciplines such as skateboarding, 3×3 basketball and
break dance [à partir de 2024], which can all be played in temporary facilities. “
Still nice reduction margins?
But the main lever remains that of infrastructure, “by trying to make maximum use of existing ones, then by building the necessary ones in low-carbon materials, and ensuring that they are of real use after the Games”, insists Alexis Normand. . This is the main strength of Paris 2024, which will use 95% of existing or temporary infrastructure. “Its other advantage is to be geographically centered and connected to an extensive rail network, so that a significant number of athletes and spectators will be able to come by train”, continues Jérôme Lachaze, who recalls that the French delegation is traveled by Eurostar to London in 2012.
Not negligible either: the hunt for superfluous emissions during the Games. By promoting renewable energies, for example, short circuits for feeding athletes and spectators, recycling and waste recovery. The Tokyo Olympics have launched some great initiatives in this area. By giving pride of place to green hydrogen which supplies the Olympic flame during the 15 days of competition, and which supplies electricity and hot water to part of the accommodation in the Olympic Village. In this same village, the bed bases are made from recycled cardboard. As for the medals, they are made
using recovered metals on used electronic devices.
Initiatives that count when you put them end to end, and that the Paris 2024 organizing committee will seek to develop even further. No choice. It has set itself the goal of not issuing more1.5 million tonnes of CO2e. While having full stages, let’s keep our fingers crossed.