The Legacy and Sustainability plan for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games — 18 GUARANTEEING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE CLIMATE: A GROUND-BREAKING METHOD AND AMBITION Climate change could eventually make sport has ever known, the world’s largest sporting impossible. Increasingly frequent and intense event assumes its responsibilities. The most heat waves in urban areas lead authorities important legacy the Games need to leave to advise people living in towns and cities is a neutral impact on the climate and the to avoid any outdoor activity and sometimes environment by halving the event’s carbon even postpone sporting competitions. Given footprint, offsetting 100% of residual impacts the forecasts and projections put out by on the widest scope of responsibility (scope 3) the scientific community, the summer Games and guaranteeing compliance with the most may be called into question, as studies stringent environmental standards. suggest that by 2085, only around 30 cities In line with the guiding principles of sobriety, in the northern hemisphere will be cool enough innovation and boldness, Paris 2024 is setting to host the Games, and certain countries will a new standard for the organisation no longer be able to compete in a number of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. of sports as athletes will be unable to train The new challenge is to create a positive in their own countries, which ultimately will impact on the climate by supporting projects damage the universal nature of the Games. making it possible to avoid or capture more In the face of the greatest challenge humanity CO2 emissions than the Games generate. A NEW MODEL: FROM A CARBON FOOTPRINT FORECAST TO A CARBON BUDGET SET WELL AHEAD OF THE GAMES The Paris 2024 method involves using a new process. Previous editions of the summer model to factor in the carbon footprint of an Games emitted 3.6 million tonnes of CO2 event. Instead of forecasting an event’s on average, yet Paris 2024 has set its carbon footprint or reporting and offsetting it once budget at 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 across all the event is over, Paris 2024 has started with the main sources of emissions (construction, a “target carbon footprint” and implements transport and operations for the Games). ambitious actions to remain within its target. Paris 2024 will achieve its ambitious reduction Similar to financial budgets that need target through a low-impact concept in which to be kept to, the target carbon footprint 95% of the infrastructure required already exists represents a kind of carbon budget that needs or is temporary, and a CO2 emissions reduction to be kept to when delivering the Games. This plan for all Games-related operations. method, which seeks to transform the way we It is the first time a Committee set itself a carbon think about greenhouse gas emissions, enables budget to keep to long before the Games the management and control of an event’s using a new method for strategy and overall impact, right from the start of the organisation operations.