Assessing the climate strategy and communication of the 2024 Paris Olympics

The report evaluates the Paris 2024 climate strategy, noting that while efforts in construction and food supply are robust, other sectors like transport and energy lack transparency and detailed methodology. It criticizes the evolution of public claims from 'carbon neutrality' to 'climate positive' as misleading and highlights a lack of transparency in carbon credit purchases. The authors argue that future games must downscale or decentralize to align with the 1.5°C goal and should avoid partnering with companies whose climate pathways are incompatible with the Paris Agreement.

• The Paris 2024 organizing committee set a target to halve greenhouse gas emissions compared to the average of the London 2012 and Rio 2016 summer games, aiming for a carbon budget of 1.5 MtCO2e. However, the methodology for this calculation is opaque, and there is no public monitoring of emissions over time to verify if actual emissions, such as those from construction, align with the forecast.
• Sectoral climate strategies are uneven: construction and food supply are rated as robust, while non-food purchases, transport, and energy are described as incomplete or unclear. Construction efforts are praised for using 95% existing or temporary sites, and food supply targets aim for 1 kgCO2 per meal, a 50% reduction compared to the French average.
• Public communication regarding climate goals has shifted from claiming 'carbon neutrality' and being 'climate positive' to more nuanced language, though inconsistencies remain between public messaging and technical documentation. The report notes a lack of transparency regarding the specific carbon credits purchased, with an estimated investment of €15 million translating to only €10 per tonne of CO2.
• The games' sponsorship selection lacks clear climate criteria, leading to partnerships with companies whose operations are incompatible with the Paris Agreement. According to cited Oxfam data, several official partners and supporters, including ArcelorMittal, Air France, and AccorHotels, follow climate pathways aligned with 3°C to 4.5°C of warming.
• To align with a 1.5°C trajectory, the report proposes a radical reimagining of the Olympic model, suggesting the games be downscaled or spread across different countries. This would reduce the need for new infrastructure and limit high-emission international air travel by encouraging local attendance in multiple host locations.

APA

Dugast, C., Crepel, A., de Rosbo, G. K., Joly, A., Faecks, B., & Dufrasne, G. (2024). Assessing the climate strategy and communication of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Carbon Market Watch. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Going-for-green-Olympics-report.pdf

Chicago

Dugast, Cesar, Antoine Crepel, Guillaume Kerlero de Rosbo, Alexandre Joly, Benja Faecks, and Gilles Dufrasne. Assessing the climate strategy and communication of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Carbon Market Watch, 2024. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Going-for-green-Olympics-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dugast |first1=Cesar |last2=Crepel |first2=Antoine |last3=de Rosbo |first3=Guillaume Kerlero |last4=Joly |first4=Alexandre |last5=Faecks |first5=Benja |last6=Dufrasne |first6=Gilles |title=Assessing the climate strategy and communication of the 2024 Paris Olympics |publisher=Carbon Market Watch |date=April 2024 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Going-for-green-Olympics-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dugast2024assessing, author = {Dugast, Cesar and Crepel, Antoine and de Rosbo, Guillaume Kerlero and Joly, Alexandre and Faecks, Benja and Dufrasne, Gilles}, title = {{Assessing the climate strategy and communication of the 2024 Paris Olympics}}, institution = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Going-for-green-Olympics-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }