A greener Games? Tokyo 2020's environmental impact
Olympics organisers have pledged
to prioritise sustainability at the Tokyo Games in an attempt to demonstrate
how countries such as Japan -- a top carbon emitter -- can work towards a
greener future.
Their initiatives include
furnishing the Olympic Village with recyclable cardboard beds, using
electricity from renewable sources and minimising waste at competitions.
But like all big global events,
Tokyo 2020 will leave an inevitable imprint on the planet. Here are some key
points to know about its environmental impact:
2.73 million tonnes of CO2
The most recent official
estimate of the Tokyo Games' carbon footprint -- more than some countries such
as Montenegro emit in a year.
It includes 1.5 million tonnes
of CO2 generated through the construction or renovation of venues and other
infrastructure.
But it does not account for a
ban on overseas spectators to limit coronavirus infection risks.
When their air travel and
accommodation emissions are excluded, the total footprint should come down by
around 340,000 tonnes of CO2, organisers say.
They will publish a final
evaluation after the Games are over.
Carbon offsetting
The figure is already lower than
that of the Rio and London Olympics, and Paris has set an even more ambitious
target of 1.5 million tonnes as host of the 2024 Games.
Tokyo 2020 also says it plans to
"offset" its footprint by purchasing carbon credits, which finance
local projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to around
4.38 million tonnes of CO2.
But such programmes are
controversial. Activists accuse big business of paying for a quick fix rather
than seeking to overhaul their operations, and some offset projects have failed
to deliver.
'Renewable' electricity
Games organisers have set a
target of using 100 percent renewable electricity at Olympic sites during the
event.
But only 30 to 35 percent of
this power will come directly from green sources, mainly solar energy and
biofuel, a Tokyo 2020 spokesman told AFP.
"For venues that cannot
procure renewable electricity through power companies, we will convert their
non-renewable electricity into renewable electricity using green power
certificates," the organisers say.
These credits certify that the
same amount of clean energy has been injected into the country's power grid, or
that an equivalent amount has been saved through renovating homes in Tokyo to
make them more energy efficient.
Reusing and recycling
Tokyo 2020 says it is
"continuing to work to ensure that 99 percent of goods procured for the
Games are reused or recycled", renting items where possible and selling on
those that were purchased new.
The scope of this goal is
limited, however, as it chiefly refers to furniture for the Olympic Village as
well as office and IT equipment for Games operations.
Some fixtures have been
specifically designed to be recycled, such as the beds in the Olympic village,
which are made from reinforced cardboard. Medals are made from recycled
consumer electronics, and podiums from old plastic.
Waste management
With spectators barred from
nearly all events at the Games -- the first ever to be held almost entirely
behind closed doors -- the mountains of consumer waste usually left behind by
big crowds may be less of a concern.
Organisers have set a target of
reusing or recycling 65 percent of waste generated during the event.
There will be separate bins at
venues and the Olympic Village for plastic bottles, cans, paper, food waste,
with anything not sorted properly separated at a later stage.
Non-recyclable waste will be
converted into energy by being burnt, organisers say, while paper has been
chosen over single-use plastic where possible, such as at canteens.