Hot Olympic Summer: Is Paris Greenwashing the Games?

Will Simone Biles live up to her moniker as greatest gymnast of all time? Will Lebron James and Team USA continue to dominate men's basketball? And will the Paris 2024 Games be the most sustainable in modern Olympic history? While billions of viewers tune in for the drama of athletes competing on a global stage, climate scientists are tuning in to Paris's climate promises – from the locally sourced catering and carbon neutral Olympic cauldron, to head-scratching “solutions” like a sidewalk made of seashells, and not installing air conditioning in athletes’ housing. Are these solutions making a difference? Or is it plain and simple greenwashing? We put these questions to the test in this episode on the XXXIII Olympiad. Let the games begin! Featuring Martin Müller. SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter (it’s free!). Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook. LINKS Read Martin Muller’s paper evaluating the sustainability of summer and winter Olympic games from the past 3 decades. Listen to Civics 101’s episode on the politics of the Olympic Games. Check out scenes from Olympic opening ceremonies from London 1908 to Rio 2016. Watch a timelapse video of construction of the temporary beach volleyball venue in front of the Eiffel Tower. Read up on fun Olympics trivia, like what the most common surname of athletes is, and about the time two athletes who tied for second place cut their silver and bronze medals and fused them together to make two “friendship medals.” CREDITS Host: Nate Hegyi Reported, produced, and mixed by Felix Poon Editing by Taylor Quimby. Our staff includes Justine Paradis and Marina Henke. Our intern is Catherine Hurley. Our Executive producer is Taylor Quimby. Rebecca Lavoie is NHPR's Director of On-Demand Audio. Music by Blue Dot Sessions, Joe E. Lee, Jay Varton, Arthur Benson, Philip Ayers, Kikoru, Trabant 33, and Phoenix Tail. Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio Submit a question to the “Outside/Inbox.” We answer queries about the natural world, climate change, sustainability, and human evolution. You can send a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org or leave a message on our hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837).

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