All said, The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are estimated to result in the loss of 5.5 square kilometers of snow cover and 34 million metric tons of glacial ice. Without emissions from the event’s three main sponsors, these numbers would be much lower: 2.3 square kilometers of snow cover and approximately 14 million metric tons of glacial ice.
This is according to A January report from the Novel Weather Institute, which worked with Scientists for Global Responsibility and Champions for Earth to determine the environmental impact of the 2026 Winter Olympics and whether hosting the games was harmful to the winter sports most affected by climate change. They found that while the Games themselves produced significant carbon emissions, emissions from the event’s three main sponsors – Italian energy company Eni, carmaker Stellantis and ITA Airways – could likely have resulted in a much larger carbon footprint for the event.
Promoting these corporations to the Games at the Games is estimated to enhance emissions “due to increased sales of high-carbon goods and services” offered by these sponsors.
The report indicates that Eni is responsible for more than half of the total emissions caused by the three largest sponsors, followed by Stellantis and ITA. While the report acknowledges the difficulties of obtaining reliable estimates of corporate greenhouse gas emissions and the size of Olympic sponsorship deals, it concludes that the additional business these companies could gain from involvement in the Games could result in 1.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions. That’s 40 percent more than the Olympics’ direct footprint, which is estimated at about 930,000 metric tons.
This means an additional loss of 3.2 square kilometers of snow cover and over 20 million tonnes of glacial ice, on top of the 2.3 square kilometers of snow and 14 million tonnes of ice already impacted by the Games themselves. In other words, this report finds that the Winter Olympics are contributing to the decline in the profitability of the very sports they celebrate.
In response to the findings, an Eni representative told WIRED that the report contained a biased estimate of the company’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions caused by the Games. The company also noted that “over 90 percent of the fuel Eni supplies to power the Games comes from renewable raw materials,” adding that its support for the Games is largely focused on the provision of energy products and services and does not generate additional climate change activities.
ITA responded to a request for comment by noting that “sustainability is a cornerstone of ITA Airways’ growth strategy” and pointed to its newer, more fuel-efficient fleet and plans to exploit sustainable aviation fuels. Contacted directly about the environmental impact of the Games, the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation declined to comment. Stellantis did not respond to requests for clarification about its sustainability initiatives related to the Olympic Games.
There are winter sports are becoming increasingly uncommon due to their vulnerability to the effects of global warming. The numbers show that the emergency situation is already underway. Over the past five years, Italy, the host country of the games, has lost 265 ski resorts. France, which will host the 2030 Winter Olympics, has visited more than 180 resorts in the Alps. More than fifty ski lifts and cable cars have been closed in Switzerland. With each subsequent edition, the Olympics become more and more dependent on artificial snow.
Of the 93 locations with the infrastructure necessary to host the Winter Olympics, only 52 of them will be “climate reliable” by 2050 if global emissions remain at roughly current levels, according to 2024 study commissioned by the International Olympic Committee. By 2080, this number will drop to 46.
In 2021, the IOC involved to reduce the direct and indirect emissions of the Games by 30%. by 2024 and by 50 percent by 2030. The organizer claims that it achieved its first goal in 2024, reducing emissions by over 30%.