April 11, 2011 | Posted by Shaun McCarthy
I was astonished to read in a media report recently that the London 2012 sustainability plan is “in tatters”. I was even more surprised to read that this piece of journalistic endeavour was based on quotes from an interview with me. The quotes were accurate but out of context and focused on two issues we are addressing in our Annual Review, published in April 2011. The first is about carbon emissions. We are reasonably confident that the ODA and LOCOG will meet their carbon emissions targets but these targets will not be achieved through renewable energy as originally planned. The ODA plans to invest in a community energy saving scheme in the local area and LOCOG will set more aggressive energy reduction targets to achieve the same end of reducing carbon emissions directly associated with the Games and the legacy of the venues. London 2012 has demonstrated the futility of setting arbitrary targets for renewable energy when the technology and economics related to urban renewable energy requirements appear to be very challenging. Much better to specify “what” (reduce emissions) than “how” (install renewable energy). It is good to see planning guidance also moving in this direction. The second issue
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