Fossil fuels made the Olympics 5 degrees hotter

So did deforestation and animal agriculture.

Spectators cool off under water misters in front of the Eiffel Tower on day four of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 30, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

I haven’t had time to analyze media coverage of the 2024 Olympic Games. So I’m not sure how many stories about Tuesday’s dangerous heat in Paris mentioned that the high temperatures were fueled by climate change.

But just in case you didn’t see, here’s an important stat: Fossil fuels, deforestation, and animal agriculture made outdoor temperatures at Tuesday’s Olympics about 5.2°F degrees hotter than they would have normally been.

The reason we know this is because of incredible recent advancements in attribution science, which uses observational data and statistical methods to figure out how likely and severe an extreme weather event would be today, compared to how it would have played out in a world un-warmed by human activities.

Specifically, the 5.2°F number comes from a “super rapid analysis” published Wednesday by World Weather Attribution (WWA), an international group dedicated to conducting and communicating attribution science. It found the heat wave that’s plagued France and other Mediterranean countries this July would have been anywhere from 4.5°F (2.5°C) to 5.9°F (3.3°C) cooler in a pre-climate-changed world. The average of that range is 5.2°F.

And the idea that fossil fuels, deforestation, and animal agriculture caused this 5.2°F increase comes from basic climate science. Approximately 75 percent of current anthropogenic CO2 emissions come from fossil fuels, and anywhere from 13 to 20 percent come from agriculture, forestry and land use (AFOLU), according to the IPCC. In the AFOLU category, 45 percent of emissions come from deforestation, and 41 percent of global deforestation comes from beef production.

I spell all this out because I want to make it clear: If we want the summer Olympics to continue to exist and be safe for athletes, we need to rapidly reduce emissions from these sectors. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: It’s not enough to say that “climate change” is screwing with the things we love. Communicators have to also be clear about why climate change is happening, so it’s equally clear what must be done.

This is also just a topical climate talking point you can use to bring the vibe down at any party you attend in the next few days, while everything is still talking about the legend Simone Biles.

”Yes, she is really amazing, the best in the world,” you can say. “Did you see that video of her complaining about the heat screwing with her hair? Yeah, that was because of climate change—it was 5 degrees hotter because of it! I can’t believe Big Oil is doing this to her.”

Invite me to your next party. I’m an incredible time.

Further reading:

• “We were drinking hot water out there," British tennis player Jack Draper told the Associated Press.

• "As the temperature goes up, you get a reduction in performance,” physiology professor Mike Tipton told the BBC in an article about how climate change has affected the Olympics. “Marathon performance declines by about one minute for every 1C (1.8F) increase in air temperature above 15C (59F)."

• “We see a large number of elite athletes succumb to things like heat stroke,” Rebecca Stearns, an expert at the University of Connecticut, told E&E News about how the Paris Olympics is protecting athletes.

• “If the world is serious about reducing carbon emissions, the Olympics, like so much else, will have to change even more,” wrote Dr. Madeleine Orr—a sports ecology expert who is also a frequent source for HEATED articles on climate and sports—in a New York Times op-ed about how removing air conditioning from the Olympic Village isn’t how you make an event “green.”

“It is doubtful any version of the Olympics can begin to approach even carbon neutrality as long as millions of tourists descend on the host city, many by air, only to consume goods and generate waste once they arrive. …

For all the efforts in Paris to reduce the carbon impact of the games, and they have been considerable, the sheer scope of future Games must be rethought. A smaller-scale Olympics wouldn’t solve everything, but it would make these events more sustainable.

Catch of the Day: We’re introduced to a lot of cats every year via this section, but we rarely meet a cat with a name as cool as Lightening Puddle.

This is Lightening Puddle in her backyard jungle habitat, looking like the neighborhood tiger that she is. 

Thanks to reader Pam for the submission.

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