Organisers of the 2024 Paris Olympics are looking ahead to hosting the “greenest-ever Games”, aiming to cut the carbon footprint of the major sporting event by 50%, compared to levels in the 2010s. They are planning to run the Games entirely on clean energy.
The Summer Olympics is back in Paris 100 years later, but French authorities are doing something different this time. In an effort to make Paris 2024 more responsible and sustainable, they are building an Olympic Village that is meant to last.
Once the Paralympics have concluded on September 8, the village – housing 82 buildings – is expected to be converted into office spaces for 6,000 people and apartments to house another 6,000. The project is also meant to alleviate a housing crisis in Paris.
Experts raise concerns over Toyota Mirai
A group of 120 scientists, engineers and academics have penned an open letter calling on the major sporting event’s organisers to ditch Toyota Mirai as the official vehicle of the Games, saying the car running on hydrogen undermines the event’s green credentials.
Hydrogen cars emit zero carbon at the tailpipe. But in today’s scenario, 96% of hydrogen across the globe is still derived from fossil fuels like methane gas. That makes most hydrogen cars more polluting than EVs and only marginally cleaner than traditional combustion engine cars.
Hydrogen vehicles have so far failed to take off as a popular choice for consumers, amid little infrastructure available for refueling. Green hydrogen – made from the electrolysis of water using solar or other cleaner alternatives – is not yet available to drivers.
Could Toyota Mirai damage reputation of Paris 2024?
Toyota is supplying the Paris Olympics’ official fleet – including 500 Mirai cars and 10 coaches that run on hydrogen, and 1,150 EVs to ferry athletes around. It says the Mirais are slated to run on hydrogen derived from water and organic matter, generated with renewable energy.
But the experts that recently penned the letter still oppose the car’s promotion, because in reality, consumers purchasing the Mirai are almost likely to run it on hydrogen derived from planet-heating fossil fuels, as per a report from CNN.
“Opportunity remains to reroute, and we urge that you require Toyota to replace the Mirai with a Battery Electric Vehicle as the official Games vehicle,” according to the authors, including experts from the University of Cambridge, Oxford University and the University of Colorado.
Read More: Rings of Fire: Paris Olympics could become the ‘hottest Games on record’
