News article
Study finds significance of reducing emissions for future of Winter Olympics
An independent study has found that should emissions be reduced or stabilised, previous regions that have hosted the Olympic Winter Games should still be able to do so until at least the 2050s.
The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Climate change and the climate reliability of hosts in the second century of the Winter Olympic Games, found that each of the regions – Europe, North America and Asia – would be able to offer multiple potential host locations for Olympic snow sports. The study also claimed that these regions would maintain their climate reliability into the 2080s if effective climate action is taken.
Under a high-emission scenario, the majority of locations studied would be too warm by the 2080s.
“Winter sport faces many challenges,” said Professor Daniel Scott from the University of Waterloo, Canada, and one of the authors of the study.
“The profound repercussions of a high-emission future on the world’s cultural heritage represented by the Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games underscore the urgency of swiftly reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.”
Scott worked with Associate Professor Robert Steiger of the University of Innsbruck, Austria to observe how reducing emissions in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change would slow the rate of global warming in mountain regions.
The host regions for snow sports at the next three editions of the Olympic Winter Games – the Italian Alps, the French Alps, and Wasatch Back, Utah – have all been assessed as climate reliable beyond the 2050s.
“This study underlines why the IOC has adopted a clear strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of the Olympic Games, and why it has taken into consideration the impact of climate change when assessing future hosts."
Additionally, the findings demonstrate that the winter sports community must work together to find solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change on winter sport.
“This study underlines why the IOC has adopted a clear strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of the Olympic Games, and why it has taken into consideration the impact of climate change when assessing future hosts,” said Karl Stoss, Chair of the Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games and IOC Member in Austria. “These decisions are supported by extensive consultation and scientific evidence.”
The study was commissioned by the IOC to increase understanding of the winter sports environment and how it is being impacted by the climate crisis, in order to make well-informed decisions about future Games.
There are a number of requirements from the IOC when selecting Games hosts, including prioritising the use of existing or temporary venues, to help reduce cost and carbon footprint.