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What in the World
How green are the Olympics?
What in the World
Jul 25, 2024

The Olympics have a huge impact, in many ways. Whether that’s tears, screaming at the TV, or inspiring you to take up rhythmic gymnastics. There’s another impact though, that affects us all, and that’s on the environment and climate. The 2016 Rio Games had a total estimated footprint of 3.6m tonnes of carbon.

Ahead of Paris 2024, we chat to BBC climate and sport reporter David Lockwood and Jordan Dunbar, co-host of BBC podcast The Climate Question. They explain how organisers are trying to cut their emissions in half this year, compared to previous Olympics and discuss what a future, greener Olympics could look like.

And almost 16,000km away in Tahiti, French Polynesia, the small community of Teahupo’o will host the surfing event on their legendary waves. But it’s not all smooth sailing, as the Olympic committee faced protests against the building of a massive new judging tower in the reef. Local photographer Tim McKenna explains what the locals think now, and how they’re preparing.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: Alex Rhodes Producer: Imogen James and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Verity Wilde

Check out some of our other episodes about the Olympics:

- How do I become an Olympian? https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct67qg - Breakdancing at the Paris Olympics: What to expect https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct6807 - How do African athletes train for the Winter Olympics without ice? https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct67hv

More Episodes
Feb 5, 2025
USAID: Can the world live without it?

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is under fire. It is the world’s biggest donor and spends billions of dollars a year, funding programmes around the world, like fighting malaria in Bangladesh, clearing unexploded landmines in Cambodia and Laos and providing medical supplies in Sudan.

But President Trump says it is run by “radical lunatics” and he and billionaire Elon Musk, who’s got the job of trying to slash American government spending, want to shut it down. They have paused almost all international spending for 90 days and issued “stop work” orders to their staff. BBC journalist Nathalia Jimenez tells us what USAID does - and why the Trump administration wants to close it.

A large proportion of USAID funding goes towards healthcare and HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa. Makuochi Okafor, the BBC’s Africa Health correspondent tells us what impact closing USAID could have in this region.

Anselm Gibbs, a BBC reporter based in Trinidad and Tobago, tells us about programmes USAID funds in the Caribbean. And Hilde Deman from Search for Common Ground, an international NGO that uses USAID funding in countries affected by violent conflict, talks about the impact to their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Benita Barden and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Rosanna La Falce


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How green are the Olympics?

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