How green are the Olympics

1
How green are the Olympics?

• Lyn Bibbings, Oxford Brookes University
• Peter Burns, University of Brighton

2
Holding the 2012 Games on home soil is a once in
an era opportunity for British tourism the
biggest visitor event in UK history. Our job is
now to ensure the whole country benefits in the
run up to, and long beyond, The Games Tony Blair
The Games are a long term investment, not a
short-term money spinner Shaun Woodward
The Games will bring huge business
opportunities, fantastic sports facilities and
many thousands of new visitors Ken Livingstone
London 2012 will turn the dreams of millions
into reality Tessa Jowell
3
One planet Olympics the vision

• Joint initiative between London 2012, BioRegional
  and WWF
• Provides an implementation link
• Plans for minimising the potential impact of the
  event itself
• Increase public awareness of the positive links
  between sport, environment and healthy living
• Create sustainable legacy communities

4
10 One Planet Living Principles

• Zero Waste
• Sustainable Transport
• Local and Sustainable Materials
• Local and Sustainable Food
• Sustainable Water

• Natural Habitats and Wildlife
• Culture and Heritage
• Equity and Fair Trade
• Health and Happiness
• Zero Carbon

5
2012 Environmental Plan

• Building the Games
• During the Games
• Legacy

6
Focus on the Visitor Economy - Tourism

• London already attracts 26 million visitors a
  year
• Visitor economy worth 15 billion
• Half of all overseas visitors include London as
  part of their visit
• Between 50-70 of net economic benefit from Games
  over 7-10 yrs will accrue from tourism

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Focus on the Visitor Economy - Tourism

• Estimated that the Games may generate 2 billion
  for Britains international visitor economy
• Almost two thirds of this growth will occur in
  the four years after the Games
• Approximately 60 of the additional inbound
  tourism revenue will be spent in London

8
Learn as much as you can from previous Games as
early as possible, get as close as you can to the
Olympic Family, but remember that the spotlight
will move on very quickly so you need to do your
post-Games planning now John Morse Chief
Executive of the Australian Tourist Commission
1997 - 2001
9
Past Games
Athens
Sydney
10
Beijing

• 19 June 2007 - Pollution in Beijing reached and
  API of 202, Grade 4A, which aggravates symptoms
  of cardiac and lung disease patients, reduces
  endurance during exercise and produces symptoms
  in healthy crowds
• Jacques Rogge, President of the International
  Olympic Committee said that some events may have
  to be cancelled

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Greenpeace response to 2012 Olympic Plans
These Olympic proposals deserve the wooden
spoon. In 2012 climate change will be the
biggest issue on the planet, and yet the Olympic
Delivery Authority are planning to belch way too
much climate trashing gases into the atmosphere
Charlie Kronick, January 23rd 2007
12
Report of the Tourism Sustainability Group

• Action for more Sustainable European Tourism,
  February 2007
• Membership
• Experts in tourism industry, destinations and
  civil society
• Member States experts
• International organisations
• Education not represented

• Responsibilities for action
• Educational and research establishments have a
  key role to play in undertaking research and
  promoting understanding of sustainability issues
  in tourism. Universities, colleges and other
  training bodies should reflect sustainability
  concerns in their mainstream tourism courses as
  well as providing more specific courses on
  relevant topics

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Sustainable development in higher education
-Hefce Report, January 2005

• Our vision is that, within the next 10 years,
  the higher education sector in England will be
  recognised as a major contributor to societys
  efforts to achieve sustainability through the
  skills and knowledge that its graduates learn and
  put into practice, and through its own strategies
  and operations.
• Four key areas
• Engaging with stakeholders to develop policy
  synergies on SD
• Building the capacity of people to manage
  sustainable development
• Sharing good practice, or supporting the
  development of good practice where none exists
• Rewarding more sustainable behaviour

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Survey of Tourism Lecturers on Climate Change

• On-line survey open for 6 weeks, mid June end
  July
• Survey in three parts
• Knowledge, understanding, beliefs
• What is taught at undergraduate and postgraduate
  levels
• Personal energy consumption behaviour

• Distributed through JISCmail lists, subject
  associations, HE Academy
• 174 responses (not all answered every question)
• 24 countries represented
• 51 responses UK
• 24 Australia and NZ
• Responses from every continent except Asia

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Preliminary Results - knowledge and beliefs

• Most (but not all) are aware and could explain to
  students the concepts of global warming climate
  change the greenhouse effect greenhouse gases
  fossil fuels carbon dioxide carbon emissions
  ozone layer.
• Most were aware of carbon offsetting but 25
  could not explain it to students. This figure
  fell to 16 for those from Australia and NZ

• 93 believe the worlds climate is changing but
  only 62 believe that the underlying causes are
  due to human activity more believe it is a
  combination of natural and human activity

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General agreement on effects
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Climate change and tourism

• Impact of climate change on tourism
• 21 neutral or unconcerned
• For Australia and NZ rose to 25

• Impact of tourism on climate change
• 24 neutral or unconcerned
• Rose to 25 for Australia and NZ

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Where is knowledge from?

• 61 believe climate change is an important topic
  for tourism undergraduate and postgraduate
  studies

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Where is it taught in the curriculum?
20
What aspects are taught most ?

• Undergraduate
• Impact on destinations
• Impact on natural environment
• Impact on economies
• Impact on growth
• Impact on consumers
• Impact on society
• Movement patterns
• Impact on business
• Adaptation
• mitigation

• Postgraduate
• Impact on natural environment
• Movement patterns
• Impact on growth
• Ethical consumption
• Impact on economies
• Adaptation
• Mitigation
• Impact on technology

21
How is it taught?
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Conclusions

• Teaching on climate change as part of leisure,
  tourism, hospitality and events courses is
  erratic
• Less postgraduate than undergraduate teaching
• Knowledge used in teaching relies largely on
  academic papers (not many!) and media coverage
  rather than official reports
• Little coverage as part of events courses
• Despite the Sydney Olympic Sustainability record
  and higher awareness in Australia and New Zealand
  there is no greater concern for tourism and
  climate change than anywhere else.

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Conclusions

• If we believe that education has a key role to
  play in educating for a sustainable future and
  using awareness of the 2012 Games to create a
  legacy then there needs to be
• More knowledge and training from reliable sources
  for lecturers
• More systematic approach to development of the
  curriculum
• More coverage at postgraduate and undergraduate
  levels