Wildfire-recovering LA faces climate questions ahead of 2028 Olympics
Climate resilience and sustainability at the heart of cultural events
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*** Please note: This dossier compiles reporting by correspondent Carolina Kyllmann, who spent a month in Los Angeles researching how the wildfire-recovering city gets ready to host mega sporting events, and whether preparations can have lasting climate mitigation and adaptation effects.
The project was made possible by a grant from the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation. More articles to come. ***
INTERVIEW | Climate change outpacing athletes’ ability to adapt, world of sports must act – researcher
Climate change is threatening sporting events around the world. For athletes, rising global temperatures come with direct and indirect consequences for their health, from lost focus in scorching temperatures to constant hay fever symptoms, said sports sociologist Sven Schneider. As risks increase, athletes alone cannot tackle the challenge, he told Clean Energy Wire. Venues, organisers and coaches must supplement individual efforts with structural action, as the sports world has been slow to adopt protective measures. But transferring established health and safety principles from other industries to competitive sport can ensure elite performances can carry on into the future, Schneider said.
Read the interview here.
PODCAST | Los Angeles faces climate questions ahead of 2028 Olympics
For the first time, CLEW reporting is available in audio format with Episode 1 of our new partnership with FORESIGHT Climate and Energy, a leading podcast and media platform covering the global clean energy transition.
In our first episode, correspondent Caro Kyllmann sits down with FORESIGHT's Sam Morgan to share the early findings of a month of research in LA – exploring how mega-sporting events must evolve in the face of climate change, and what this means for the cities that host them.
Listen to the first episode here.
WEBINAR (23 June) | Climate change meets sport: Los Angeles gears up to host Summer Olympic Games
Over five billion people are expected to watch the 2028 Olympic Games, but their climate angle may not receive the attention it deserves. As Los Angeles prepares, it faces a critical challenge: can the Olympic preparations increase climate resilience, drive new mobility patterns, reshape urban policy, and reimagine sporting events? Organisers said that the next Olympics could become a model for what a more sustainable global event can look like, and pledged to use only existing or temporary venues as well as minimise car use. Still, questions remain: are these efforts enough to strengthen resilience ahead of the next climate disaster? Can the Olympics continue to provide a stage for athletic prowess in the face of climate change? And how do wildfire recovery efforts interact with the pressure to put on a standout global show?
Join CLEW correspondent Carolina Kyllmann, returning directly from the city with her first-hand investigation, Climate Home News journalist Joe Lo, who has reported on the threats climate change poses for athletes, and by LA-based journalist Alissa Walker, who at Torched extensively covers the city's mega event planning and urban infrastructure changes, as they go over these questions.
Sign up to attend the webinar, part of the London Climate Action Week (LCAW), here.