Rio 2016 says it will offset 3.6 million tonnes of emissions at Games
By Marcelo Teixeira
(Reuters) - The Rio 2016 local organising committee set a target on Thursday to offset the total amount of greenhouse gases estimated to be produced by the world's largest multi-sport event.
The Olympic Games are expected to generate 3.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), mostly due to travelling and accommodation of spectators, the local organising committee (LOC) said.
That number is slightly larger than what was released by the London 2012 Games, at around 3.4 million tonnes of CO2e.
Rio 2016 LOC said, however, that it has no intention to tap carbon markets for their neutralization programme. Instead, they will use a combination of projects from the public and private sectors.
Organizers of large sports events such as the Olympics and the soccer World Cup have tried to reduce their carbon footprints in a response to criticism from environmental groups.
The London Games had its emissions partially neutralised, while the Sochi Winter Olympics and the Brazil World Cup this year already reached full compensation.
Rio's committee said Dow Chemical will be its official carbon partner, in charge of offsetting 2 million tonnes of CO2e.
Dow plans to reach the emissions reductions by implementing programs such as a fuel switch at power installations in its plants in Brazil.
It will also calculate the reductions achieved with the use of some of its products in the agriculture and the food processing sectors in the country.
Rio's government will complement the Games' carbon footprint offsetting with a reforestation programme for degraded areas of the Atlantic Rainforest.
(Reporting by Marcelo Teixeira; Editing by Alan Crosby)
