In the century since Paris last hosted the modern Olympic Games, global emissions have soared exponentially, making climate change one of the most pressing challenges of our era. As we emerge from a thrilling two weeks of competition, it’s worth reflecting how the organizers set a new benchmark in climate and corporate leadership, responding robustly to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ urgent call for comprehensive climate action.
The Paris 2024 organizers embraced a rigorous commitment to reduce internal emissions, aiming to slash the Games’ carbon footprint by at least 50 percent compared to previous events. This ambitious pre-event carbon budget is not just a symbolic gesture; it reflects a deep-seated dedication to sustainable practices. The strategy is multi-faceted, encompassing the use of existing or temporary venues for 95 percent of the facilities, incorporating low-carbon materials in construction, leveraging renewable energy sources, and innovatively reusing heat from local data centers to warm the Olympic pool. Furthermore, the transportation plan featured electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles, showcasing a holistic approach to minimizing emissions.
But they didn’t stop there. Beyond these substantial reductions, the Paris 2024 team took an exemplary step by addressing the inevitable emissions that remain. They established a funding program for projects focused on carbon avoidance and capture, thereby compensating for the unavoidable emissions associated with the Games. This is the underlying premise to a high-integrity voluntary carbon market, using carbon credits to counterbalance emissions that best current efforts cannot reduce any further.
And perhaps, most impressively, the organizers decided not to claim “carbon neutrality” as a result, in favor of more robust and transparent communication that’s in line with current trends.
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Paris 2024 epitomized a trio approach to climate leadership—significant emission cuts coupled with investments in high-quality carbon credits, communicated with a responsible claim. This approach is a vital component of the emerging “version 2.0” of the voluntary carbon market, characterized by high integrity in both supply and demand.
The Paris 2024 model serves as a clarion call for companies worldwide to adopt similar practices. Achieving net-zero emissions in line with climate science requires robust internal decarbonization plans and a commitment to in-value chain solutions. However, as businesses navigate this transition, they continue to emit substantial volumes of greenhouse gases, jeopardizing the 1.5 degree Celsius and 2 degrees Celsius climate targets. By 2030, a new norm is essential—one where companies balance their carbon accounts by compensating for hard-to-avoid emissions with high-integrity carbon credits.
Corporations adopting this approach are the true climate leaders. Research consistently shows that companies purchasing carbon credits are advancing more rapidly in reducing their own emissions compared to those that are not. Criticism should not target those taking proactive steps, but rather the laggards doing nothing. These proactive companies are not only taking more responsibility, but are also better positioned for a future where such measures may become mandatory.
Paris 2024’s comprehensive climate strategy is a beacon of hope and a powerful example for global industries. By prioritizing deep emissions reductions and responsibly managing unavoidable emissions, they demonstrated that significant events can be both spectacular and climate responsible. The world should take note. The race to net zero is not just about reaching the finish line, but about how we get there.
Lucy Almond is chair of Nature4Climate.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
