Editorial comment
Twelve years ago, I attended a few of the events at the London 2012 Olympic Games. It was an amazing experience, with the atmosphere around London unlike anything I had witnessed before (or since). I was also lucky enough to be in the audience for one of the dress rehearsals of the opening ceremony. The opportunity to get a sneak preview of Danny Boyle’s acclaimed production in the shiny, brand new Olympic Stadium was undoubtedly a personal highlight.
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The opening ceremony at this year’s Olympic Games in Paris is going to be very different indeed. In an unprecedented move, it will take place outside of a stadium, on the river Seine, enabling over 300 000 spectators to watch. In addition to promoting openness and inclusion, the decision to host the ceremony on the Seine was seen as an opportunity to “accelerate the energy transition of boats navigating on the river”.1 The Games will support the electrification of port quays in Paris as well as the development of electric-powered boats, with the aim that all sightseeing boats in the city will operate with electric motors by 2037. During the opening ceremony, around 30 electrically-propelled boats will parade athletes along the river.
This is just one of many initiatives that the organisers of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games have put in place to ensure the greenest Games in history. From primarily using existing or temporary stadiums to host events, to cardboard beds and coffee tables made from recycled shuttlecocks in the athletes’ village, sustainability has been at the heart of Paris 2024. Even the Olympic and Paralympic medals contain a piece of original iron from the Eiffel Tower to highlight the circular economy messaging.
Hydrogen is also a key part of the sustainability strategy at the Games. Toyota will provide 500 of its hydrogen ‘Mirai’ vehicles to help transport athletes, organisers and volunteers. Air Liquide will supply renewable hydrogen to refuel Toyota’s vehicles, and the company expects to deliver more than 22 million t of hydrogen to stations in the Île-de-France region.
A few days before the closing ceremony of this year’s Paralympic Games, Hydrocarbon Engineering will be hosting its own event dedicated to sustainability. On 5 September, our ‘World Energy Transition Conference’ will explore decarbonisation pathways for the downstream sector, and put the spotlight on the challenges and opportunities presented by the transition to a low-carbon energy future. I’d like to invite you to join us for a series of presentations from experts including Rystad Energy and Wood Mackenzie. The virtual conference will also include a presentation from Endress+Hauser looking at hydrogen quantity and quality measurement, particularly as we start to scale green hydrogen facilities. And because this is a virtual event, you can join us from the comfort of your home or office, and we’re pleased to offer on-demand access to the presentations for up to two weeks after the conference has ended. Click here to register: https://www.accelevents.com/e/worldenergytransition2024.
- ‘Paris 2024 Sustainability and Legacy Pre-Games Report’, https://medias.paris2024.org/uploads/2024/07/Paris2024-Sustainability-and-legacy-report.pdf
