By Saidu Abubakar
It’s no longer news that the centre-piece of the coronavirus-delayed 2020 Olympic Games is the new 68,000-capacity Japan National Stadium, following Friday’s (23rd July, 2021) opening ceremony. Torchbearer, Japan’s tennis star, Naomi Osaka, lit the cauldron, thereby ushering in floodgate of hydrogen-powered energy fireworks which lightened up the sky that could best be described as procurement from renewable energy sources and the use of tradable green certification system.
Japan, no doubt, maintains the tradition and reputation, as a world leader in sustainable technology and a partner to countries around the world aiming to end poverty, achieve high level of well-being, and ensure human security.
The Tokyo Games, for the first time in history of the event, has had the stadium (venue) to near empty during the opening ceremony, having also, fewer officials than usual, as well as athletes all donning face masks.
Interestingly, some of the features of the Olympic torch are aluminium wastes extracted from the temporary housing built in the aftermath of the country’s tsunami and earthquake of 2011.
“This emphasis on reusing materials is one of a few ways the organizers of this edition of the Olympics want to lower the game’s notoriously high environmental impact in the wake of the pandemic.”
In a pre-games sustainability report, the Tokyo Organizing Committee stated thus: “The COVID-19 crisis has served to remind humanity of the importance of a sustainable society, where the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of our world exist in harmony.”
Mind Body and Green (MBG) identified five sustainable features including: fewer people, as earlier noted due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in Japan, as well as existing protocols.
The most striking are the innovative materials like the recycled torch (lit by torchbearers in uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles), and other Olympic mainstays made from repurposed materials. For instance, the 5,000 Olympic and Paralympic medals are made from e-waste collected around Japan; the podiums will be 3D-printed from recycled plastic, and the athlete’s beds from recycled cardboard. The cardboard frame and the polyethylene mattress that sits on top of it will also be recycled after the games. In fact, the Olympic committee says that 99% of the materials used throughout the games will be reused or recycled through Japan’s top-notch waste-processing system.
Thirdly, are carbon offsets, and in keeping with the Olympics’ goal to be “climate positive” by 2030, the Tokyo committee is working to reduce carbon emissions across the entire event. They’re using renewable energy where possible (some of which will be supplied by a solar power plant in Fukushima, the site of the 2011 earthquake) and operating a fleet of mostly electric or hybrid vehicles. Any unavoidable emissions will be offset in cooperation with Tokyo’s Cap-and-Trade Programme.
Fourthly, is the smart building design. Reports say more than half of this year’s Olympic and Paralympic venues existed before the games. The Olympic committee chose to move away from all-new construction to minimize construction costs and energy use. All the structures that were built for the games will be repurposed afterward, including the Olympic Village itself, which is run on hydrogen power from the Fukushima solar plant. Following the games, it will become Japan’s first hydrogen-powered town and hopefully a model for future communities.
“By staging the Tokyo 2020 Games as a ‘sustainable society showcase’ through these initiatives, we hope not only to make the Games more sustainable, but also to share with the world the approaches taken, obstacles faced, and solutions found along the way”, organizers said.
Lastly, there is the forest in its name, as the International Olympic Committee also committed to planting an “Olympic Forest” of 355,000 native trees in Mali and Senegal, to protect the region from desertification. Once mature, the forest is expected to sequester 200,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
“By staging the Tokyo 2020 Games as a ‘sustainable society showcase’ through these initiatives, we hope not only to make the Games more sustainable, but also to share with the world the approaches taken, obstacles faced, and solutions found along the way,” reads the Tokyo sustainability report.
Focusing on the use of hydrogen power, it was reported that the Tokyo Games opens a new chapter in Japan’s drive towards a sustainable future.
As the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen is clean and light. Most importantly, it produces no carbon dioxide emissions and can be produced using renewable electricity. Energy analysts believe hydrogen offers some of the best potential to reduce or eliminate emissions from airlines, shipping and industry.
“With their immense reach and visibility, the Olympic Games are a great opportunity to demonstrate technologies which can help tackle today’s challenges, such as climate change,” Marie Sallois, Director for Sustainability at the International Olympic Committee, was quoted.
“Tokyo 2020’s showcasing of hydrogen is just one example of how these Games will contribute to this goal.”