6th November 2023
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As the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina draw to a close (and the Winter Paralympics begin), it is easy to get caught up in the celebration and excitement. After all, these games could be regarded as the most successful yet, being the most widely consumed Winter Olympics ever on the BBC with a record-breaking estimated audience of 26.3 million.
It was also purported to be the most environmentally conscious Olympics yet, with promises from the IOC to use only electric and biofuel vehicles, to reuse items from the 2024 Paris Olympics and to recycle 70% of urban waste. “The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games were presented as the Olympics of sustainability” says World Wildlife Fund Italia, “but this is not the case” they continue.
Two years before these games began, twenty Italian and international associations, including Mountain Wilderness, Libera and the World Wildlife Fund, requested transparency from the International Olympics Committee (IOC) about sustainability. While a meeting between these associations and the IOC was initially planned, it was cancelled a year before the start of the games. A joint association statement reported they could find “no evidence to certify the environmental sustainability” of the projects for the games. Furthermore, the Italian government waived the need for any Environmental Impact Assessment work to be done on 60% of planned infrastructure projects.
Despite a supposed commitment from the IOC to “protect, cultivate and promote the natural beauty of the places that will host the Games”, these Olympics took place in the midst of a UNESCO World Heritage Site- one of the most fragile ecosystems on Earth. Portions of ancient larch forest were destroyed for the construction of a bobsled track, while water from rivers already suffering from drought was pumped up mountains to make artificial snow. In total, the estimated greenhouse gas emissions from the games was about 930,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent- that is equivalent to the annual energy use of over 85,000 homes, and it excludes emissions related to majorly polluting sponsors.
The Winter Olympics are perpetuating their own demise- it is no secret that global temperatures are rising as a result of greenhouse gas emissions, and alpine environments are feeling the effects, with skyrocketing temperatures and rapidly melting snow. Since artificial snow was first used in the Winter Olympics in 1980, the games have become increasingly reliant on it ever since. Even in Cortina d’Ampezzo, this year’s host town, the dramatic effects of climate change can be seen: February temperatures have risen by 3.6°C since 1956, and the town now experiences 41 fewer frost days each year. Furthermore, snow depth has dropped by roughly 15 centimetres since the 1970s. This is a trend for many Winter Olympics hosts. It is estimated that by the end of the 21st century, only 8/21 cities that have hosted the games in the past are predicted to be cold enough to host them again.
These games could have been used as a way to bring attention to these real-time effects of climate change and to highlight exactly what is at stake. Instead, they were used to promote a variety of heavily polluting corporations, most notably Italian oil and gas giant Eni. If we want to continue to have the Winter Olympics, something has to change. The IOC must be more transparent in their sustainability efforts, and must be more mindful about their impact on the environment, before it is too late.
Bull, Andy. “The Great Olympic Lie: Untold Story of Winter Games’ Huge Environmental Impact.” The Guardian, 22 Feb. 2026, www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/22/the-great-olympic-lie-untold-story-of-winter-games-huge-environmental-impact.
Fortuna, Carolyn. “How Sustainable Were the 2026 Olympics, Really? – CleanTechnica.” CleanTechnica, 28 Feb. 2026, cleantechnica.com/2026/02/27/how-sustainable-were-the-2026-olympics-really/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
“Milano Cortina 2026 Sustainability Efforts in the Spotlight.” Olympics.com, International Olympic Committee, 17 Feb. 2026, www.olympics.com/ioc/news/milano-cortina-2026-sustainability-efforts-in-the-spotlight.
“Now26: Sustainability and Legacy | Milano Cortina 2026.” Olympics.com, 2023, www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/about-us/sustainability-now26.
“Olympics on Fake Snow – a Global Event Running out of Winter.” Panda.org, 2026, wwf.panda.org/?15647441/Olympics-fake-snow-running-out-winter.
Olympics Torched. New Weather Institute, 18 Jan. 2026, https://www.newweather.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Olympics_Torched_report_18-01-2026.pdf#:~:text=emissions%20related%20to%20sponsorship%20deals%20with%20major,tCO2e%20%E2%80%93%20being%20due%20to%20spectator%20travel.
Parkinson, Stuart , and Andrew Simms. “The Hidden Carbon Footprint of the Winter Olympics.” Scientists for Global Responsibility, 2026, www.sgr.org.uk/resources/hidden-carbon-footprint-winter-olympics.
Timms, George. “Winter Olympics Must Tackle Environmental Impact before the Snow Runs Out.” The Guardian, 24 Feb. 2026, www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/24/winter-olympics-must-tackle-environmental-impact-before-the-snow-runs-out.
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