I have a wild idea here. What if, they didn't build an entire Olympic sports complex with multiple stadiums and other infrastructure every 2 years around the globe? Maybe that would save a bit on carbon emissions. And hey, the billions that would have gone to building that complex? Maybe that could go toward building up renewable energy resources instead.

But no that's crazy, it's the portable air conditioning units for some athlete's apartments that are the problem. /s

Though some props to Paris, it sounds like they didn't have nearly the amount of insane new constructions that some Olympics have had. Sounds like only one major new venue with most venues being used already pre-existing.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2024/02/11/paris-2024-unveils-only-purpose-built-olympics-venue-in-city-five-months-ahead-of-summer-games/72561147007/

If they gave a fuck about sustainability they wouldn't be hosting the Olympics in Paris in the middle of summer.

You gotta wonder WTF the French were thinking when they decided to force people into the sweltering insomnia of 80 degrees indoors at night just for the sake of creating the appearance that climate change is the fault of the dispossessed proletariat running air conditioners to survive global heating, and pretending like the owners of the means of production aren't actually in a position to change how the economy functions.

The world will continue to get hotter year by year until climate change is solved. I'd fully expect to see more AC use, not less. This won't be limited just to athletes, but it will be limited by affordability.

They have simulated conditions in the parts of the accommodation most exposed to the sun and have tested the effectiveness of the cooling system with an objective to keep the indoor temperature between 23 and 26 degrees Celsius (73 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit).

Then it continues with:

The geothermal energy system will ensure that the temperature in the athlete apartments in the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb does not rise above 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) at night…

They also go on to say that the apartments will be around 11°F cooler than outside temps, which are expected to be over 100°F.

—

Let’s just stop for a second and let that sink in. First of all, who keeps their houses up to 79°F at night? Is that a thing in Paris/Europe? Do they have ceiling fans or standing fans to keep the air moving?

That aside, these are athletes who spend their daytime hours sweating their asses off, performing feats us mere mortals couldn’t dream of achieving. And, yet they are expected to “adapt” to have to suffer at night too? Fuck that noise.

I’m all for reducing our carbon footprint, and finding more natural ways to keep cool in the hot summer months. But we also have to be practical and reasonable. I don’t blame those countries for giving France the middle finger and bringing their own ACs.

The geothermal energy system will ensure that the temperature in the athlete apartments in the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb does not rise above 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) at night

Sorry, but fuck that. Hopefully the system will help the ACs that everyone will need to bring to use less power though.

Why aren't Olympic games distributed between, let's say, 8-10 countries? Maybe make them continent games. Distribute the cost and benefits, and maybe make then bi-annual, fairer to athletes by enlarging the window of opportunity.