by Steve Milloy, E&E Legal Senior Policy Fellow and Junkscience.com Founder
As appearing in the Washington Times
Oh, the environmental injustice of it all. Organizers of the Paris Olympic Games thought they were going green by building athletic dormitories without supposedly planet-warming air conditioning.
As it turns out, the only athletes going green are those from poor countries.
Wary of risking athletic performance and medal counts on the French idea of a cooling system — cool water piped under floors — athletes from rich countries will reportedly bring portable air conditioners to their rooms to stay cool during the late July and early August games.
Poor countries can’t afford that, though. The president of the Ugandan Olympic Committee told The Washington Post, “We don’t have deep pockets.”
It’s possible that this sort of air conditioning apartheid won’t matter, even though it is supposedly the “hottest year ever.” The long-range forecast is for cooler weather in Paris. But you never know.
