Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Environment → World Problems

By 2085 most cities in the world will be too hot to host Summer Olympic Games

The Summer Olympic Games might one day take place with air conditioning.

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
August 16, 2016
in Climate, News, World Problems

Olympic Rings
Credit: Public Domain // Tiberius Puiu, ZME Science

A paper published in the journal Lancet estimates that by 2085 only eight major cities in the northern hemisphere outside Western Europe will be fit to host Summer Olympic games. By that point, only three cities in North America would be suitable to host the Summer Olympics: Calgary and Vancouver in Canada, and San Francisco in the United States.

The study is part of a larger one that investigates the relationship between outdoor Olympics and climate change. University of California Berkeley professor Kirk Smith and colleagues used data from two climate models that estimate how temperature, humidity, heat radiation, and wind will fare in the future. Combining all these factors gets you the wetbulb globe temperature (WBGT).

After forecasting the WBGT for the end of the century, the researchers applied its value to current safety procedures used in determining the viability of a host city. The researchers concentrated on the northern hemisphere because it’s there that 90 percent of the world’s population lives. They also looked at cities with populations over 600,000 as this is a prerequisite for hosting Summer Olympics.

“Climate change could constrain the Olympics going forward,” said Smith, a professor of global environmental health in the School of Public Health. “And not just because of rising sea levels.”

The study suggests that by 2085 cities like Istanbul, Madrid, Rome, Paris, and Budapest — all currently competing to host 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympic Games — will be unfit to host by today’s standards.

solar olympic games
Credit: Lancet

Depressingly, only eight out of 543 cities outside western Europe would qualify to host the games, including St. Petersburg, Russia; Riga, Latvia; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. There is no viable city anywhere in Latin America or Africa. Western Europe, however, would be home to 25 cities that might be “low-risk” sites in 2085.

If current warming trends continue, it seems like we’d have to put the Summer Olympics on air conditioning. Worth mentioning is that this study follows on the heels of news that July 2016 was the warmest month — ever.

“Climate change is going to force us to change our behavior from the way things have always been done,” said Smith. “This includes sending your kids outside to play soccer or going out for a jog. It is a substantially changing world. If the world’s most elite athletes need to be protected from climate change, what about the rest of us?”

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. The Olympic Games are increasingly unsustainable. Can the world afford them anymore?
  2. Artificial meteor shower might open the Japan 2020 Olympic Games
  3. As global warming surges, so does the hot summer weather
  4. Tokyo 2020 Olympic medals will be made from old gadgets
  5. Studies find “super bacteria” in Rio Olympic venues and beaches
Tags: olympic games

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW