IOC accused of ‘greenwashing’ by environmental group with Olympic Forest project set to plant 355,000 trees across Africa
- The IOC is hoping to put on a greener face with major projects in reforestation, reducing carbon emissions and ensuring future Olympic Games are climate positive
- Groups such as RAN say the Olympic body is yet to take responsibility for past failures, including razing of trees in Pyeongchang and its sourcing of plywood for Tokyo 2020 facilities
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has hardly been a role model for environmental causes but they are trying to put on a new green face. In seeking to remove the dark stain of perceived apathy for climate issues, the IOC is presenting itself as a sporting pioneer in environmental conscience with its “Olympic Forest” campaign that it hopes will make amends for past sins.
Unveiled in June, the Forest programme will see 355,000 trees planted across Mali and Senegal in Africa to offset carbon emissions. That is six times the number of trees that were razed in Pyeongchang. From 2030 onwards, the IOC said host cities must guarantee that their Olympic Games are climate positive.
Environmentalists, however, are less enthused about the green legacies that the Games hope to leave behind. The Rainforest Action Network (RAN), a US-based NGO, called out the body for using the new campaign to “greenwash” its inadequacies.
“We generally support the reforestation of degraded land with native trees, especially if it can provide social benefits while respecting the rights of local and Indigenous communities,” said Yuki Sekimoto, RAN’s Tokyo-based spokeswoman. “However, it appears that this project is being used to greenwash the Olympics’ climate and environmental footprint.”