Towards Decarbonisation: Reducing Emissions From Transport in Olympic Host Cities

Contemporary environmental challenges significantly impact the Olympic legacy, necessitating adaptations and sustainable policies. Climate change, manifested through rising global temperatures, reduced natural snowfall, and increased frequency of extreme weather events, affects both the organization of competitions and the viability of traditional host locations. The development of infrastructure required for the Games contributes to habitat degradation, deforestation, and biodiversity loss. Air and water pollution, exacerbated by Olympic activities, along with massive waste generation, pose additional challenges, particularly in host cities with underdeveloped waste management systems. Intensive consumption of natural resources, such as water and construction materials, further worsens issues in ecologically vulnerable regions. Social and ecological inequalities also arise, including the displacement of local communities and the uneven distribution of environmental and economic costs. To mitigate these effects, it is essential to integrate sustainability principles through the use of existing infrastructure, adoption of strict environmental standards, and implementation of carbon footprint reduction policies. Promoting ecological education and innovative solutions can transform the Olympic Games into a model of best practices for sustainable global events. The modern visions promoted by National Olympic Committees (NOCs) reflect a growing commitment to organizing environmentally friendly Olympic Games, integrated into global sustainability strategies. These initiatives prioritize reducing the ecological impact of sporting events, aligning with international objectives for environmental protection and climate change mitigation. Measures adopted include the use of existing infrastructure or temporary facilities to minimize habitat degradation and resource consumption. Sustainable planning involves transitioning to renewable energy sources for powering venues, reducing carbon emissions through green transportation, and efficiently managing waste through recycling and reuse. Additionally, NOCs promote environmental education among athletes, officials, and the public, emphasizing the Games' role as a platform for global awareness. Circular economy principles are incorporated into organizational processes, while collaborations with private and public sector partners support the implementation of innovative, eco-friendly technologies. These modern visions, reflected in initiatives such as the International Olympic Committee's Agenda 2020+5, reinforce the commitment to transforming the Olympic Games into a model of environmental leadership, contributing to a sustainable legacy for the long term. Ensuring global ecological standards within the Olympic Movement requires the adoption and promotion of strategic and multidimensional actions with a long-term impact on global sustainability. Key identified measures: ✓ Development of sustainable infrastructure Designing and utilizing facilities that adhere to ecological principles, such as reducing energy consumption, using recyclable materials, and constructing venues with minimal impact on ecosystems. ✓ Reducing the carbon footprint Introducing eco-friendly transportation for delegations and spectators, utilizing renewable energy across all Olympic facilities, and offsetting emissions through ecological restoration projects and reforestation initiatives. ✓ Efficient waste management Implementing advanced waste collection and recycling systems, reducing single-use materials, and promoting the circular economy at every stage of event organization. ✓ Environmental education and awareness Conducting awareness campaigns for athletes, spectators, and host communities on the environmental impact of actions, while integrating sustainability as a core value of the Olympic Movement. ✓ Adopting international environmental standards Aligning Olympic strategies with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and international climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement. ✓ Continuous monitoring and evaluation Establishing a transparent system for reporting environmental performance and implementing audit mechanisms to ensure compliance with established standards. Through these actions, the Olympic Movement can position itself as a global leader in promoting sustainability, reinforcing its role as a model of ecological best practices, and actively contributing to environmental protection. Olympic education serves as a strategic tool for promoting ecological sustainability within the Olympic Games, aiming to encourage behavioral and cultural changes necessary for environmental protection. This educational dimension, embedded in the values of Olympism, facilitates awareness of human activities' impact on ecosystems and promotes the adoption of sustainable practices in the long term. Educational initiatives include programs targeted at athletes, organizers, spectators, and host communities, focusing on topics such as reducing carbon footprints, conserving natural resources, and managing waste. Awareness campaigns surrounding the Olympic Games leverage digital platforms, workshops, seminars, and partnerships with educational institutions to amplify ecological messages. A central aspect is integrating concepts of circular economy and environmental responsibility into sporting and organizational activities, emphasizing sustainability across all stages, from planning to implementation. Additionally, Olympic educational programs aim to create a lasting legacy by fostering generations aware of their role in protecting the environment. Through initiatives such as Agenda 2020+5, Olympic education becomes a cornerstone of transforming the Olympic Games into a model for sustainable events, contributing to global environmental goals and reinforcing the role of Olympism as a promoter of sustainable development. Contemporary environmental challenges represent a significant threat to the Olympic legacy, influencing both the organization of the Olympic Games and their impact on the environment, economy, and the global community. Climate change, pollution, habitat degradation, and the intense consumption of resources put pressure on host regions, and addressing these issues requires an integrated and sustainable approach. However, by implementing rigorous ecological policies, utilizing innovative technologies, and adopting a sustainable organizational model, the Olympic movement can become a leader in promoting environmental responsibility. Initiatives such as using existing infrastructure, reducing carbon emissions, and environmental education are essential for transforming the Olympic Games into a global example of best practices. In conclusion, to ensure a positive Olympic legacy in the long term, organizers must address these environmental challenges with a strong commitment to sustainability. This approach can contribute not only to protecting the environment but also to strengthening the role of the Olympic Games as a global platform for positive ecological change.

Nature‐based Solutions to tackle climate change and restore biodiversity

Sustainable biochar: A facile strategy for soil and environmental restoration, energy generation, mitigation of global climate change and circular bioeconomy

Due to their scale, the Olympic and Paralympic Games have the potential to place significant strain on local health services. The Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010, and London 2012 Olympic host cities shared their experiences by publishing reports describing health care arrangements. Olympic planning reports were compared to highlight best practices, to understand whether and which lessons are transferable, and to identify recurring health care planning issues for future hosts. A structured, critical, qualitative analysis of all available Olympic health care reports was conducted. Recommendations and issues with implications for future Olympic host cities were extracted from each report. The six identified themes were: (1) the importance of early planning and relationship building: clarifying roles early to agree on responsibility and expectations, and engaging external and internal groups in the planning process from the start; (2) the development of appropriate medical provision: most health care needs are addressed inside Olympic venues rather than by hospitals which do not experience significant increases in attendance during the Games; (3) preparing for risks: gastrointestinal and food-borne illnesses are the most common communicable diseases experienced during the Games, but the incidence is still very low; (4) addressing the security risk: security arrangements are one of the most resource-demanding tasks; (5) managing administration and logistical issues: arranging staff permission to work at Games venues ("accreditation") is the most complex administrative task that is likely to encounter delays and errors; and (6) planning and assessing health legacy programs: no previous Games were able to demonstrate that their health legacy initiatives were effective. Although each report identified similar health care planning issues, subsequent Olympic host cities did not appear to have drawn on the transferable experiences of previous host cities. Repeated recommendations and lessons from host cities show that similar health care planning issues occur despite different health systems. To improve health care planning and delivery, host cities should pay heed to the specific planning issues that have been highlighted. It is also advisable to establish good communication with organizers from previous Games to learn first-hand about planning from previous hosts.

Climate change and agriculture are interlinked and affect each other globally. The global population continues to rise while food and nutritional insecurity remain main global challenges facing humanity. Traditional agriculture methods need transformation to climate smart agriculture (CSA) approaches that have potential to improve food production amidst climate change realities. The review aimed at evaluation of published literature on CSA, establishment of CSA linkages with national development plans for Uganda and Ethiopia, African Union Agenda 2063, UN Sustainable Development Goals and CSA contribution to biodiversity conservation across the globe. Additionally, the review aimed at identifying opportunities and challenges of CSA in the 21^st Century and recommend possible options for all stakeholders for improved income, environmental conservation, and food and nutritional security. Literature search from 2000-2019 was carried out using key words and key phrases in relevant journals and authentic websites. It was found out that CSA supports three pillars: 1) Sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes, 2) Adapting and building resilience to climate change, 3) Climate change mitigation and contributes to Biodiversity Conservation and management. CSA approach has potential to improves food security and farmers’ income. CSA has a vast number of opportunities that include availability of crop genetic diversity, availability of interested CSA researchers, gene banks for genome resources for CSA crop enhancement; enhanced technology for CSA practices that can be accessed by farmers and vibrant research organizations and donor agencies interested in promoting CSA approaches. CSA challenges were identified to include: limited technical and financial capacity and negative attitude from smallholder farmers. It was concluded that CSA approach is a better option for the present and centuries to come farmers across the globe for the attainment of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2015-20130, UN Agenda 2063 and national development plants of most African countries including Uganda and Ethiopia. The review recommended that capacity building for farmers and researchers need to be done and governments and donor agencies should provide soft CSA loans to farmers to supporting CSA practices and technologies in all developing countries and the approach should be adopted by all the farmers and be promoted by all stakeholders at all levels in both the present and future centuries.

Eighty-six EU policy options for reducing imported deforestation

Medals, Rings, and Olympic Dreams: A Review Essay of Antonio Sotomayor and Cesar R. Torres, eds., <i>Olimpismo</i>

&#x0D; East Kalimantan Province is very vulnerable to climate change, so it needs policies and strategies in managing climate change impacts through adaptation and mitigation actions. So it is necessary to stipulate local regulations on climate change adaptation and mitigation. Management of climate change in East Kalimantan is one of the local government's efforts in providing guarantees to the community to get a quality living environment. The purpose of this community service activity is to provide understanding to residents regarding East Kalimantan Regional Regulation No. 7 of 2019 concerning climate change adaptation and mitigation. The method of implementing this community service activity is in the form of counseling and discussion of East Kalimantan Regional Regulation No. 7 of 2019 concerning climate change adaptation and mitigation.&#x0D; &#x0D; Based on the results of community service activities related to the extension of East Kalimantan Regional Regulation No. 7 of 2019 regarding climate change adaptation and mitigation, it was concluded that many people still do not know about the regional regulation. Efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change are not only the responsibility of the Government, but also the responsibility of the DPR. The DPR's climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts can be carried out through the implementation of its three functions, namely the budget function, the supervisory function, and the legislative function. Every stakeholder, including the community, must mitigate and adapt to climate change, because adaptation and mitigation is the key to addressing climate change, which is the key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon stocks to reduce the impact of climate change. The active role of the regional government in formulating policies related to climate change is a must, the policy is expected to be a direction for stakeholders in East Kalimantan.

Cutting through the noise on negative emissions

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), planning for and working to realize an event legacy for a host city is an essential part of being awarded the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The IOC also mandates that each host city mount a Cultural Olympiad showcasing, often over successive years, the best in local, national, and international art and performance. What, then, is the cultural legacy of an Olympics—and how do we measure it? As playwright and theatre director Marie Clements asks in this issue, what is the equivalent for a local arts community of a gleaming new hockey rink or a sleekly designed swimming pool? The question is an important one, because while it is most often artists who are called upon to produce the symbolic character, festive tone, commemorative feelings, and aesthetic look of an Olympic and Paralympic Games—via opening and closing ceremonies, public art commissions, performance programming, and even the design of medals, logos, and mascots—it is this same group that often bears the brunt of post-Olympic austerity budgets and funding cuts. In the case of Vancouver, which (together with the resort town of Whistler) hosted the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, these cuts actually began before the Games themselves, and as Duncan Low summarizes in his essay in this issue, arts funding in British Columbia has still not returned to pre-2009 levels. One immediate consequence for the theatre community in Vancouver was that even a venerable institution like the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company, whose finances were already precarious, was unable to sustain its operations past the one-time infusion of Olympic special event funding. As Clements and PuSh Festival Artistic and Executive Director Norman Armour both note in these pages, the struggles that existed for the arts community before the Olympics still pertain: access to funding, access to space, and a competition for audiences. Yet both Armour and Clements insist that the 2010 Cultural Olympiad helped them produce work of a scale that they would otherwise have been unable to realize. Employing a baseball metaphor, Armour suggests that the Big Show that is the Olympic spotlight forced local cultural producers to step up to the plate, by Peter Dickinson, Kirsty Johnston, and Keren Zaiontz

IntroductionAs ecological disasters loom, forests play a crucial role in mitigating climate change and aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study aims to systematically examine the contribution of forestry science research to the SDGs through a multidisciplinary perspective, highlighting its role in advancing global sustainability efforts.MethodsUtilizing the PRISMA protocol, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of 39,841 publications since 2015, focusing on the intersection of forestry sciences with the SDGs. Network and keyword co-occurrence analyses were performed to identify thematic clusters and interdisciplinary linkages among SDGs.ResultsOur findings indicate a significant focus on SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), emphasizing the forestry sector’s contributions to biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and ecosystem services. The analyses revealed thematic clusters centered around ecological sustainability, sustainable energy, and social development, demonstrating the diverse ways in which forestry research supports the SDGs.DiscussionThis study highlights the interdisciplinary nature of forestry sciences and identifies key areas of contribution while pointing to potential research gaps. Future research should explore advanced technologies such as AI-driven analytics and remote sensing, socioeconomic impacts of forest-based livelihoods, and innovative reforestation techniques. Strengthening urban forestry, enhancing interdisciplinary cooperation, and improving governance are recommended to ensure continued contributions of forestry sciences to global sustainability and the SDGs.

Previous scholarship has relied on case study analysis and anecdotal evidence to explain the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic host city selection process. This has resulted in several provocative claims regarding why the IOC selects particular cities to host the Olympics. Large-n analysis can dispel some of these assertions by identifying the systematic tendencies in the IOC's host city choices. After reviewing the selection process and the different influences on the IOC's choice of a host city, rank-ordered conditional logit estimation is applied to data proxies of bid candidate characteristics from 1959 through 2005. The IOC shows a statistical tendency to base its decision on the economic vitality of a bid city's home country and on the need to maintain continental diversity.

Climate change mitigation on tropical peatlands: A triple burden for smallholder farmers in Indonesia

Olympian Dreams

ABSTRACTThis study was conducted at eight different sites of the mangrove ecosystem in Kaozhou Yang, Huidong District, Huizhou Guangdong, South China Sea. The concentration of nutrients (NH4+, NO2−, NO3−, PO43− and SiO32−) was determined (both water and soil samples). Based on the nutrient concentration, the comparison of mangrove biomass production, total organic matter and bacterial count were also investigated. The level of nutrient values and biomass production of mangrove and bacterial count in both water and soil samples followed the same trend. The results showed that the highest concentration of NH4+ (0.457 ± 0.051 mg/L), NO2− (0.223 ± 0.018 mg/L), NO3− (0.521 ± 0.038 mg/L), PO43− = P (0.242 ± 0.049 mg/L) and SiO32− = Si (4.094 ± 0. 095 mg/L) were found in the water samples from station S‐1, while the lowest values of NH4+ (0.063 ± 0.007 mg/L), NO2− (0.0124 ± 0.001 mg/L), NO3− (0.053 ± 0.003 mg/L), PO43− = P (0.012 ± 0.002 mg/L) and SiO32− (0.713 ± 0.009 mg/L) were recorded in station S‐8. The order of nutrient values and bacterial count in the water and soil samples was same: S‐1 > S‐5 > S‐3 > S‐6 > S‐4 > S‐2 > S‐7 > S‐8. Avicennia marina was the only species found in all stations therefore; this species was considered for the assessment of the biomass of above‐ and belowground parts. The highest biomass (aboveground parts; 131.23 ± 2.09 Mg/ha, belowground parts; 139.86 ± 2.57 Mg/ha) was recorded at station S‐1. The lowest biomass (aboveground parts; 119.72 ± 1.99 Mg/ha, belowground parts; 127.13 ± 2.01 Mg/ha) was found at station S‐8. The analysis of organic matter (both water and soil samples) also showed the same trend. It was concluded that that mangrove biomass was nutrient‐dependent, confirming our hypothesis that “mangrove biomass could depend on the availability of nutrients.” Mangrove ecosystem plays an important role in coastal and marine food webs and is closely connected to the well‐being of coastal communities. Therefore, the mangrove ecosystem is mainly included in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement (climate change mitigation) in this decade. This study is in line with SDGs 12 (Responsible consumption and production of food), 13 (Climate action), 14 (Life below water) and 17 (Partnerships with the goals). The mangrove plants convert carbon dioxide (toxic form of carbon) in its useful form (biomass), and in addition, the mangrove ecosystem serves as a food and nursery area for fish and shellfish fisheries. Therefore, this research promotes the role of the mangrove ecosystem to benefit the blue economy and mitigate climate change. It was concluded that the abundance of bacteria and the biomass of mangroves depend on the availability of nutrients. Therefore, the results of this study strengthen our hypothesis. In the future, this study could serve as a reference study for blue carbon sequestration in the mangrove ecosystem.