Past Carbon Emissions and Future Targets for the Olympic Games

Abstract

The global visibility, and political weight of the Olympic Games can inspire climate change action. Yet, at the same time, the Olympics are also significant carbon emitters, potentially undermining their credibility as sustainability leaders. To date, however, there is a lack of a systematic assessment of past carbon emissions and extrapolation of future targets considering international agreements. Our analysis shows Olympics-related carbon emissions ranged from 1.59 to 4.5 million tonnes of CO2e in recent editions. Paris 2024 set emission-reduction targets aligned with the 2015 Paris Agreement. Our analysis suggests that the IOC and future Olympic host cities should commit to verifiable emissions targets and change the delivery model of the event to meet the Paris Agreement.