Environmental issues have been at the forefront over the past few years as the world becomes increasingly more concerned with issues related to climate change. With the London Olympic Games looming on the horizon, many were concerned about the large carbon footprint that would be created by the seven years of preparation that goes into hosting an Olympics. This is why a sustainability program was created for the games to monitor carbon emissions and ensure that the games were not becoming a burden to the environment. It was recently revealed that the games have been able to maintain the program and that in some cases emissions were cut even more than expected.
The London Olympic committee contends that this will be the most sustainable Olympic Games and that measures have been taken to ensure that the games are as environmentally friendly as possible. Nearly two million tonnes of greenhouse gases are expected to be created during the games which will account for roughly .5 percent of the overall emissions in the United Kingdom. The sustainability plan, which has been dubbed Towards One Planet 2012, marks the first time that an Olympics has projected the impact of its own carbon emissions. The appraisal and subsequent sustainability plan are seen as measures that can be used in cities all over the world, and not just for major events like the Olympics.
The main issues that the plan focused upon were biodiversity, waste, climate change, and healthy living. The Olympic Committee hopes that the games will create a positive example for other organizations looking to become more sustainable.
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