Plenty of Heat and No AC for Olympians—Unless Your Country Can Afford to Bring Its Own

The Summer Olympics are upon us, and I for one can't wait to watch all the action as athletes from around the world descend on Paris to chase gold for their countries. The Olympics have been one of my favorite sporting events for as long as I can remember, and a younger version of myself dreamed of making the Olympics track and field team.

In my small hometown in Kansas, I was once the fastest kid in my class…of 45 people. Nowadays, I'm relegated to running around the woods where I live in East Tennessee, in my highlighter yellow swim cap, chasing glory in the local Swim-Run. I did pretty well a few weeks ago, but damn, was it hot! So hot that I had to stop running a few times to catch my breath, asking, "was it this hot the last time I did this?"

Well, turns out it wasn't and, given the pace at which our planet is warming, it's not likely to get much cooler any time soon.

Now, you're probably asking yourself what in the world all this has to do with the Olympics? Well, I may not be an Olympic athlete, but I can certainly attest to how nice it is to go into an air-conditioned room after a hot day outside. Unfortunately, for some Olympians at this year's Summer Olympics, they will not have that option.

While Paris officials aren't providing air conditioning, some countries are bringing their own for their athletes. As you may have guessed, it's the wealthy ones, including the US, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Denmark, and Australia. So, while the athletes of these wealthy nations will be able to cool off after a workout, as they are accustomed to, athletes from other countries who aren't able to afford their own air conditioning will be forced to sweat it out, creating a potentially unfair advantage for the haves vs the have-nots.

It's hard to fault the Paris organizers for their intentions. "I want the Paris Games to be exemplary from an environmental point of view," said Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo in the leadup to the games. A part of the organizing committee's goal is to cut emissions at this Olympics and make Paris the most sustainable games to date. Instead of air conditioning, the organizers have installed a system of water pipes that will run cooled water throughout the Athlete's Village and should keep the rooms cool, between 73 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit with fans. That doesn't sound too bad, but it will differ from the training conditions of many of the competitors, and it promises to create inequities that may unequally impact the performance of the athletes-not to mention the health risks that come from the heat of summer. In fact, last year, more than 5,000 people died in France as a result of the extreme heat wave that gripped the continent.

Of course, this also raises questions about the energy consumption from the additional air conditioning units. If wealthy countries just bring their own units to plug into individual athlete's rooms, the added energy pulled from the grid threatens to negate at least some of the emissions reductions that Paris organizers were hoping to achieve in the first place.

What is happening at the Olympics resembles broader global trends: Wealthy countries and individuals are more likely to be able to afford things, like air conditioning, to keep cool during ever-increasing climate change-fueled extreme heat events, while poorer countries and individuals are often forced to bear the brunt of our warming world with fewer resources to keep cool.

The increase in air conditioning use also drives up energy consumption, which impacts emissions on a broader scale. More efficient heat pumps offer one solution, but we must also work to clean up the grid so that the power running them isn't adding to our emissions problem. Fossil fuel companies have known for decades that their products were contributing to climate change, including in the power sector. Take action today to help hold them accountable.

As you tune into the Olympics, keep an eye on the air conditioners in Paris and which countries perform the best. Here at UCS we'll keep an eye on the sustainability outcomes of the games to see if the organizers' plans to cut emissions worked or came up short of the finish line.

And, if you're out doing your own version of the Olympics like me, be sure to stay hydrated and don't get too thirsty, my friends.