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The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are supposed to be the most sustainable in history. But locals and environmentalists are saying otherwise.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are offering plenty of flips, twists, and jumps to savour in Milano Cortina. However, experts are equally shocked at the impact the games are having on the environment that are spinning out of control.
Picture this: Snow-capped peaks gleam under bright lights as athletes glide down pristine slopes. The crowd cheers, flags wave, and the world tunes in for the magic of the Winter Olympics. But behind this shiny scene lies a messy truth- millions of gallons of guzzled water, hundreds of trees cleared, and disgruntled locals worried about the increase in emissions and soil erosion in an already delicate environment.
When Italy applied to host the Winter Olympics in 2018, it was touted to become the most sustainable in history. Yet, as the games are underway in 2026, locals and environmentalists are raising issues about deforestation, water scarcity, and increased construction. Now, spectators have to wonder if the Milano Cortina games are truly living up to their green claims.
Sustainability Promises
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) waves big flags when it comes to green initiatives for the games. “The commitment of Milano Cortina 2026 is to protect, cultivate and promote the natural beauty of the places that will host the Games,” is in the statement on the website for the Olympic Games.
The website mentions several key focus areas: renewable energy, increasing recycling, reducing water consumption, and promoting sustainable tourism. Those interested can take a deep dive into the agenda, which is outlined in a Sustainability, Impact, and Legacy Report. To achieve these goals, clear objectives were set, such as using 100% renewable energy, offsetting 100% of emissions, recycling 80% of packaging waste, and reducing water consumption through technological innovation.
However, the original report and its updated version were both published in 2024, so it remains to be seen what the impact and legacy of the games will be now that they’ve begun. Adding to the confusion is the fact that no data is provided to verify whether or not emissions were offset or whether renewable energy and water consumption goals were met.
Environmental watchdogs like Greenpeace have already labeled the report and its related claims as fluff. In early February, activists staged protests after it was revealed that the energy giant Eni was a major sponsor of the games. Adding fuel to the fire, a 2023 report from environmental experts slammed the IOC for weak enforcement. Pledges like those outlined in the report seem to focus on offsets more than root fixes. As a sporting event that sees an estimated 500,000 descend onto one small region, there are a lot of root issues that need to be addressed to preserve and protect the environment.
Melting Mountains and Manufactured Snow
Warmer weather hits winter sports hard. Natural snow coverage has been dramatically shrinking over the last 44 years, forcing host cities to chase reliable cold spots or alternatives. For the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, this means betting on artificial fixes in the Italian Alps. It’s estimated that this year’s winter Olympics will need 84.8 million cubic feet of water, or the equivalent of 380 Olympic-sized swimming pools, for snowmaking. This drains local ecosystems. Rivers run low, and forests suffer as trees are cleared to make way for the facilities and equipment to turn water into artificial snow.
Snow machines have another steep environmental price. Water is mixed with air and chemicals to build fake snowflakes. The pumps and compressors used in this process often run on fossil fuels. A snowmaking shift to cover a ski slope is estimated to use enough energy to power hundreds of homes. Reports from past games peg this at thousands of tons of CO2 yearly.
The Milan-Cortina games are planning snow production to cover 150 kilometers of slopes. That’s a water usage that could strain Italy’s drought-prone northern regions.
Transportation and Accessibility Demands
Separated by more than 250 million miles, Milano and Cortina are the two host cities for the 2026 Winter Olympics. A first of its kind- two cities serving as the host for the games- athletes, organizers, spectators, and more will have to shuffle between the two cities to partake in the games. As thousands descend into Milano to engage in sports such as figure skating and hockey and spike emissions from travel, they’ll do the same as they descend onto the snow-capped mountains of Cortina to engage in sports like skiing and curling.
To accommodate the influx of travelers (estimated to be 500,00), both cities made plans upgrade rail systems and widen roads. While these projects promised traveling ease, there are environmental concerns about clearing forests and the dust exposure from construction sites.
Emissions add up fast. Past games like Beijing 2022 clocked over a million tons of CO2 from travel alone. Italy’s setup could match that, especially with Milan’s busy airport. Green shuttles help a bit, but the jet set dominates. How do we cut the carbon rush without killing the vibe?
The Construction Footprint
Prior to the games, the IOC stated that no new infrastructure would be built for the games to protect the environment. However, two new ski jumps, an ice hockey rink, and a bobsled track are a few of the new construction projects that have used an estimated 22 million gallons of water and 500 cleared trees to build. According to one report, 60% of the new structures were begun without environmental assessments.
Lawsuits and complaints are already underway from residents and organizations accusing the games of negatively impacting the environment. Satellite images recently released back up these claims, showing increased soil consumption in the Alps around Olympic sites.
Building an Olympic arena also means hauling tons of steel, wood, and cement. Each arena emits embodied carbon, the pollution locked in from mining and mixing. Construction sites might chase LEED green labels with recycled materials and solar panels for low-impact designs in athlete housing. Yet the volume overwhelms. New construction still demands materials (recycled or not) that are often shipped long distances.
A Negative Legacy: Leftover Infrastructure
When the medals go home, what happens to those fancy tracks and jumps? While many are demolished, some sit empty, turning into costly burdens that have earned the nickname “white elephants”.
For Milano Cortina, Italy, eyes legacy use for tourism. But experts doubt it. High upkeep in remote spots often fails. Abandoned sites leak toxins or disrupt wildlife. It’s a wake-up call; build smart or pay forever.
Big events need big setups. Roads carve mountains, arenas rise from scratch, and villages pop up overnight. Each pour of concrete adds hidden pollution that can linger for decades. For each Olympic game, organizers must weigh the cost of unsustainability carefully.
The Winter Olympics dazzle, but they teeter on a warming edge. Climate change erodes snow while events like the Olympics pump out pollution through machines that build it. With flashy reports and sustainability claims countered by environmental lawsuits and protests, Milano Cortina 2026 spotlights the gap between flash and fact. Future hosts can learn from this disparity to provide transparent data to back up sustainability claims and take actionable steps to preserve environments for the future.
Only bold shifts will keep the Olympic spirit alive without torching the planet. What will Milano Cortina deliver? The stakes couldn’t be higher.
