Editor's note: Philippe Gourbesville, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a professor of Hydroinformatics and former director of Polytech Nice Sophia, the graduate school of engineering at Université Côte d'Azur in France. Also a professor at China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research in Beijing, he is currently the president of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The Summer Olympic Games have previously been held in Paris, France, in 1900 and 1924. A hundred years later, the Games are returning to the hometown of Pierre de Coubertin, the "father of modern Olympics." The 2024 Paris Olympics is committed to optimizing its energy use and introducing innovative solutions. The organizers have promised a "green" Olympic and Paralympic Games. They must emit half the greenhouse gases that the London Games in 2012 or Rio Games in 2016 did. From construction to electricity, catering and travel, the challenge is immense; but it also represents an opportunity to push forward a new standard for a low-carbon and environmentally friendly international sports event that would also benefit the host city.

If the emission target is kept, this would be the first Olympics compatible with the Paris climate agreement. But realizing this target is a demanding task: Carbon dioxide must be tracked not only in construction and travel – two items which each account for around a third of emissions – but also in electricity consumption, meals, digital technology and accommodation. To achieve this, the Paris 2024 Games have set a "carbon budget" – it must not emit more than 1.58 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

A key strategy is to build fewer buildings. Construction of Olympic venues has been kept to a minimum. A total 95 percent of the venues are existing or temporary infrastructure. The challenge was to build as carefully as possible emblematic places such as the athletes' village, the aquatic center or the Arena, gigantic projects orchestrated by Olympic works delivery company Solideo, which has decided to be 10 years ahead of the regulatory objectives to put the city and building sectors on the path to carbon neutrality in 2050.

The athletes' village achieved a 47 percent reduction in its carbon footprint. Before the construction of the 330,000 square meters floor area of the village in Seine-Saint-Denis on the banks of the Seine River, a large part of the rubble was removed by boat, avoiding more than 25,000 trucks.

As far as possible, the concrete used is "low carbon," even "very low carbon," and the partitions are removable. Post-Olympics, the village is designed to become an eco-district. The promise is that a large portion of what will be dismantled will be reused and the chosen approach is to construct buildings adapted to the climate of 2050, without individual air conditioning. The housing, open on both sides to facilitate ventilation, is covered with green roofs, equipped with permanent solar protection and in anticipation of extreme heat, the buildings have been connected to the city's cold network, the eco-friendly cooling system of underground water pipes.

The choice of geothermal energy is clearly a major move in favor of this neglected energy source. For Paris 2024, the athletes' village will be heated and cooled by geothermal energy. Eleven wells have been drilled in the district from the end of 2020. To produce heat and cooling simultaneously, a dual, less energy-consuming device has been designed: Thermo-fridge pumps (i.e. pumps capable of supplying hot and cold water) associated with surface geothermal energy (around 100 meters deep).

The technology is using the energy contained within the shallow aquifers to present an average temperature of around 15 degrees Celsius all over the year. The water is taken from three geological layers, circulated in a close loop and reinjected within the geological layers. A particular attention is paid to avoid any discharge into the Seine. This solution allows to simultaneous supply heat and cooling.

Obviously, a cold network was essential for the comfort of the athletes as Paris 2024 will be held from July 26 to August 11. The system is intended to last. Once the events have been completed, the athletes' village will in fact turn into apartments and offices whose occupants will be able, if they wish, to connect to the cold network.

Particular attention has been paid to this post-Olympic era known as the "legacy" period, which runs until 2050. The geothermal solution based on shallow aquifers and heat pumps is rapidly gaining interest not only in Paris but in numerous municipalities in France, such as Nice along the Mediterranean Sea.

The solution could reduce 80 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions dedicated to heat and cold production, and at the same time, preserve the quality of the groundwater resources with no risk of exogenous contaminant.

The innovation is not limited to technology. There are new management approaches that take into consideration the legacy of the existing urban services and engage with complementary new extensions for sustainable management.

Paris 2024 is not only a sports event but a major opportunity to engage in changes in the organization of similar global events and especially in the infrastructures. Technological innovations and alternative energy sources can help to reduce the carbon cost of the Games and promote good practices in urban development with low-carbon buildings and local renewable energies like groundwater and solar flux. The high visibility of the Paris Olympic Games in media can showcase the innovative solutions to tackle climate change and achieve carbon neutrality. 

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