Construction adds to the Olympics' Footprint - ENDS report 412

The Olympic Delivery Authority estimates the carbon footprint of the 2012 games at 3.4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The commission that audits the Olympics' sustainability has called for more attention to be paid to HFCs and the post-games period.

Preparing for and staging the 2012 London Olympics will lead to greenhouse gas emissions of 3.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent - a tiny fraction of total UK emissions over that period.
The figure comes from a study for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). It is the most comprehensive footprint compiled for an Olympic games and one of the first for a major construction project. Covering the period from London's winning bid in 2005 through to the Paralympics closing ceremony in 2012, it shows that more than 60% of the associated emissions come from the manufacture and transport of construction materials.
Flying competitors and officials to the games - assumed to be the major bogeyman - is a much smaller component.

The ODA is keeping the detailed breakdown and its workings under wraps while it develops a response. But the figure appears in the annual report of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, the body responsible for auditing London's bid to be the "most sustainable games ever".1 The commission first called for the study two years ago to help it assess efforts to reduce the games' carbon footprint (ENDS Report 395, p 23  ).
Commission chair Shaun McCarthy praised the resulting study and the emissions reductions achieved so far through sustainable sourcing standards for construction materials, renewable energy and other measures (see p 23  ). But he called for further efforts in light of the new information.

The commission would like to see the Olympics used to inspire emissions reductions in the local community and more widely. The organisers, sponsors and sporting bodies could all play a role, said Mr McCarthy. He also called for the feasibility of fuelling the combined heat and power plant on the Olympic site with biogas from waste or other sources to be assessed.
If this can be achieved, Mr McCarthy thinks it would reduce carbon emissions over the London Olympics period to near-zero - an extra effort that would sit well in a year expected to see the next Earth Summit and perhaps the start of a post-Kyoto Protocol climate regime.
The commission also plans to hold the organisers to a commitment to offset all flights by competitors and officials with Gold Standard emissions reduction credits. Its report praises the London 2012 organisers for maintaining their commitment to sustainability, despite the economic situation. But it raises concerns about the sustainability of the Olympic park during the legacy period.

Some good principles have been developed behind the scenes but nothing has been released publicly, said Mr McCarthy. It is not clear how these principles will be incorporated into the park, as current efforts seem somewhat token, he added.
The commission also calls for a firm commitment on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). These are traditionally used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems but some have a global warming potential thousands of times greater than CO2. Using them when alternatives exist sends the wrong message, said Mr McCarthy (ENDS Report 409, pp 26-27  ).
The ODA is considering alternatives for the 1.5 megawatt cooling system in the aquatic centre, but the commission does not know where other HFC-based systems might be planned.
Further information
. 1. Swimming upstream: sustainable in challenging times? (http://www.cslondon.org/documents/CSL%202008%20Annual%20Review.pdf)

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