France has pledged to halve the carbon emissions of the 2024 Games in Paris this summer, partly by providing a high proportion of climate-friendly plant-based food. ProVeg International, says it sends out the right message about the role that plant-based diets can play in tackling climate change.
Jasmijn de Boo, global chief executive of food awareness organisation ProVeg International, said: “We are delighted that the organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympics have recognised the importance of plant-based diets in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Plant-based diets emit half as much greenhouse gas as animal-based food so it is essential that events that are under the global spotlight like the Olympics set the example by increasing the availability of climate-friendly food.”
The organisers, in their Food Vision, are aiming for ‘at least 50% of all meals being vegetarian and/or at least 50% of all animal proteins being replaced by plant-based proteins for volunteers and employees, suppliers, the media, the Olympic and Paralympic family, and hospitality’.
France has pledged to reduce overall carbon emissions by 50% during the two 15-day periods of the Olympics (26th July to 11th August) and Paralympics (28th August to 8th September) to help address what organisers call ‘the unprecedented climatic and environmental challenges’ facing humanity.
This means limiting emissions to 1.75 million tonnes of CO2 in order to halve emissions generated by the previous Summer Olympics (Tokyo 2020, Rio 2016, London 2012) when an average of 3.5 million tonnes of CO2 were emitted.