Wash Post declares AC-free goal of ‘greenest Olympics ever’ in Paris takes ‘a farcical turn’ as ‘portable air-conditioning units will be everywhere’ per athletes’ demands
Chico Harlan is The Washington Post's global climate correspondent
Wash Post Excerpts:
PARIS — For all the steps Paris organizers have taken to put on the greenest Olympics ever, their boldest measure — the one they’ve touted again and again — pertains to the dorms in the Athletes’ Village. The rooms don’t have air-conditioning. Because of other cooling measures, organizers have assured, the athletes won’t need it.
But in a farcical turn, when the Games start next month, an Olympic Village designed to showcase sustainability will be more of an energy hog than organizers had hoped.
That’s because portable air-conditioning units will be everywhere. Wheeled in. Shipped in. Ordered by visiting countries that want their athletes to sleep well and perform at the highest level — even if it means a larger carbon footprint. Some of those athletes are accustomed to temperatures cooler than what the dorms might have provided and raised concerns to their national Olympic committees. “It’s a high-performance environment,” said Strath Gordon, the chief of public affairs for the Olympic committee of Australia, one of the countries opting for the ACs. ... The Washington Post sent inquiries to 20 of the largest competing nations. Among the eight that responded, all — including the United States — said they were planning to use portable ACs in some or all of their athletes’ rooms. Those countries — plus Greece, Denmark and Australia, which also responded to The Post — accounted for more than 3,000 athletes at the previous Olympics, in Tokyo, more than a quarter of the total. ... Many other countries plan to obtain the ACs in France.
https://www.climatedepot.com/2024/06/06/wash-post-declares-ac-free-goal-of-greenest-olympics-ever-in-paris-takes-a-farcical-turn-as-portable-air-conditioning-units-will-be-everywhere-per-athletes-demands/
