Brazil's Green Building Industry Grows Ahead of 2016 Olympics

The 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are expected to help boost the green building industry in Brazil.

Global concerns about the impact of arenas and stadiums led the International Olympic Committee to require arenas built for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro meet international standards for low carbon emissions and energy efficiency.

This has boosted local interest in developing real estate that with lower environmental impact than existing buildings, a trend that comes as the Brazilian government is carrying out a long-term infrastructure expansion program meant to make its economy more competitive.

Brazil Olympics spurring green construction
Reuters
November 3, 2010

Greening Efforts May Fall Short in Carbon-Heavy World Cup

Despite goals to create a carbon-sensitive and environmentally friendly World Cup, the impact of carbon emissions related to the games will be hard for South African cities to counter. Cities have taken many efforts, including tree planting, green design in new stadia, and carbon credit trading systems. But some say those efforts won't be enough.

Despite these efforts, the environmental cost of the World Cup will be heavy. The "carbon footprint" is estimated at the equivalent of 2.75-million tonnes of carbon dioxide, nine times higher than the World Cup in Germany in 2006 and more than twice as high as the Beijing Olympics.

Simple geography is the main reason: foreign visitors will travel a total of 7.1 million kilometres (4.4 million miles) to cheer their teams at the southern tip of Africa, their planes emitting tonnes of carbon.

World Cup will be more grey than green
Independent Online
March 2, 2010