www.cslondon.org
UKGBC Embodied Emissions Seminar, 5 May 2010 Jane Durney, Team Leader CSL and London 2012 Carbon Footprint Study
London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games The Olympic Games is the world’s largest sporting event Over 200 competing nations 17,000 athletes and team officials 38 sports From 27 July 2012 for 16 Days The Paralympic Games is the world’s second largest sporting event Over 160 competing nations 4000 athletes and team officials 23 sports From the 29 August for 12 Days 55,000 Olympic Family members (athletes, officials, media representatives, VIPs, sponsors) 500,000 ticketed spectators each day, 6 FA cup finals per day 7.9 million spectators in total 120,000 workforce and volunteers
Sustainable…? “ We want our One Planet Olympics to be the most complete and sophisticated expression of sustainable development ever delivered on a citywide scale. We want it to benefit not just London and the UK, but to be a credit to the Olympic Movement as a whole.” Lord Coe, Environment Forum, 7 March 2005
Sustainable…? “My team and I are fully focussed on guaranteeing that London hosts a spectacular sporting event for athletes and spectators alike in 2012. Of equal importance is ensuring that the Olympic Park has a sustainable legacy and becomes a landmark district of 21st century London, which Londoners and visitors to our city can use and prosper from.” Boris Johnson Mayor Boris Johnson
CSL’s Purpose…
To provide independent assurance and commentary in order to enable the sustainability objectives of the London 2012 programme to be achieved and to support a sustainable legacy.
How we operate…
Olympic Board Key Stakeholders
Wider Stakeholders
UK SDC LSDC
ODA
Gov. Depts.
LOCOG
Host Boroughs Statutory Bodies
GLA Group GOE / DCMS
Chair
Officers
Professional Institutes NGOs
Core Commission (plus new commissioners) Co-opted experts
BOA / BPA
London 2012 Sustainability Governance
Carbon Review Published December 2009 Commend groundbreaking work by LOCOG and ODA 14 recommendations Clustered around: Measuring the footprint Taking responsibility for the footprint (and reducing as far as possible) Mitigating the residual footprint
London 2012 Carbon Management Strategy To define and measure an initial baseline carbon footprint (‘Reference Footprint’) of the Games, from which to measure any carbon reduction activities. To seek ways to reduce the carbon footprint through avoiding emissions, reducing emissions and substituting conventional systems with lower carbon technologies. To influence the uptake of best practices and innovative approaches developed by London 2012, and inspire behaviour change, as a means to mitigate unavoidable emissions. To implement climate adaptation strategies so that the legacy development and parklands are appropriate for the long term.
London 2012 Carbon Footprint Study Published March 2010 Groundbreaking Methodology for events / large projects Reference footprint Bid win to closing ceremony 15 Accounting principles Includes assumptions and conversion factors
Allocation – Owned / Shared / Associated
Source: London 2012 Carbon Footprint Study
3.4m tonnes – 67% embodied in construction
How it breaks down ‘000 tonnes C02e Venues Transport infrastructure
Owned ODA
Owned – LOCOG
Shared – Associated
1,728
1,728 1
429
591
Spectators
15
655
670
Operations
384
75
459
400
1,159
3,448
Total
161
Total
1,889
Total ‘owned’ emissions 2.3m tonnes
Big hitters
Source: London 2012 Sustainability Plan
Flights (345k tCO2e) are a relatively small component
Sustainable venues…?
A tale of two roofs …
3000 tonnes steel
100 tonnes steel 16km steel cable 30kg/m2 compared to 65kg/m2 for Beijing Velodrome
Ambitious targets Buildings 15% more efficient than 2006 building regs 50% reduction in emissions compared to 2006 BaU model 20% renewables in legacy Low embodied energy materials (no target) 50% materials transported by rail/water Local employment and travel plans 20% electricity for Games from renewables 120g/km for Olympic fleet Detailed carbon footprint Commitment to use the power of the Games to influence behaviour
The good news…
With the exception of the 20% Gamestime renewables target, all objectives are on track to be achieved or there are contingency plans in place.
More good news….
To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive carbon footprint developed for any major event or construction project in the world. This is ground breaking stuff and ODA/LOCOG are to be congratulated.
Reduction measures in preparation phase Changes to Olympic Park Masterplan Use of existing venues Streamlined venues through value engineering Sustainability choices at design stage for procurement – materials and how transported Low carbon concrete specification Investment in sustainable transport and logistics Programme-wide material reuse and recycling measures Balanced cut and fill approach On-site soil treatment ‘Lean, mean, green’ energy strategy
Owned emissions 2.3m t
1.9m t
However…. 1.9m tonnes to watch some people running around Is this a fair price for the planet to pay for a few people to see the fastest man on the planet?
Mitigating the 1.9m tonnes Do nothing and brush it all under the carpet
Not a very good idea, that’s why we have an independent Commission
Mitigating the 1.9m tonnes Assume 70% of the infrastructure is invested in legacy so we can amortise the carbon over the life of the venues and make it look very small
In our humble opinion this would be rubbish. The emissions are happening NOW and we are giving our children enough problems to solve in the future already
Mitigating the 1.9m tonnes Offset the whole footprint
We are not convinced by this option. Offsetting can be expensive and not the preferred option for many NGOs
Mitigating the 1.9m tonnes Create a fund to invest in community related energy efficiency projects
We think this is a great idea but the Olympic bodies consider it too expensive
Mitigating the 1.9m tonnes Create a legacy of knowledge, building on work by ODA/LOCOG, to make the UK world leaders in managing embodied impacts
We think this is another great idea (so do Greenpeace - they thought of it first). It is the preferred option but will it happen?
Mitigating the 1.9m tonnes London 2012 say they will: Continue to seek additional reductions Contribute to knowledge transfer and influence standards Influence behaviour change
What will you do? Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?
Jane Durney
[email protected] 020 7593 8662
www.cslondon.org
Thank you
