With just 20 months until the Opening Ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and with the construction back on track, the focus of the Rio Olympics Organizing Committee has turned to the environmental impact of the Games. The Committee has estimated that the total carbon footprint of the upcoming Games will be 3.6 metric tonnes, or 3.97 tons. With this in mind, the committee has contracted Dow Chemical as the official carbon partner of the 2016 Olympics to offset that load.
Dow’s goal is to help the city of Rio host the Games with a “low-carbon economy,” fostering a positive social and environmental experience for all. Dow will be responsible for developing new ways to offset this footprint through technology and other innovative approaches, including setting standards for Rio’s preparations like shipping and construction in order to keep the carbon footprint as low as possible. Under this agreement, Dow will need to offset 2 metric tonnes or 2.2 tons of the total footprint.
Even after offsetting these 2.2 tons of emissions, 1.77 tons remain to be handled by the Organizing Committee. The Rio de Janeiro State Government is assigned to make amends for the remaining emissions in other ways. A major program the government will be investing in is one that aims to restore the shrinking forests along Brazil’s Atlantic Coast. Trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere and store it within their wood and plant material. Therefore, programs aimed at protecting Brazil’s forests from destruction or at planting additional trees to counteract deforestation are useful in the effort to offset the carbon emissions created by building the Games’ infrastructure.
As a global event, the Olympics Games can set a positive example for how to handle the world’s environmental and social challenges. By choosing to offset the environmental damage through programs and low-emissions goals, the Olympics continue this legacy. Environmentalists hope that this plan created by the Organizing Committee will achieve these goals and set the environmental standard for future world events.
can groups in other parts of the world assist to offset, cause it will make more sense and also impact will be felt all over the world if the participating countries start campaigns to offset their carbon footprints and also to encourage airlines involved to also do the same may be each and every athlete should be charged 2 usd to fly in to RIO then the money will be used in this project.