How Paris made the Olympics lean and green

By Francisco "A.J." Camacho | 07/24/2024 06:16 AM EDT

The French capital cut costs and emissions by using existing infrastructure and emphasizing climate-friendly construction.

A man rides a scooter on Tuesday at one site of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

A man rides a scooter on Tuesday at one site of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Rebecca Blackwell/AP

Paris is set to open the Olympic games on Friday, and experts say the French capital is well positioned to recover from the global party when athletes and fans depart more than two weeks later.

A big reason is how the city went about preparing for the games. Past Olympic hosts have spent as much as $23.6 billion getting ready — often by building stadiums and structures that get demolished or go underutilized once the Olympics are over.

Paris has taken a different approach, and a new report suggests that’s better for the planet, the city’s coffers and France’s emerging green construction industry.

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Organizers have built only two new major buildings for the Paris games, and they have limited operational and construction spending to about $8.7 billion, according to analysis put out this week by the credit ratings agency Morningstar DBRS.

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