The 2026 Winter Olympics Will Have a Major Impact on the Region’s Snow

All things considered, the It is estimated that the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina will result in the loss of 5.5 square kilometers of snow cover and 34 million tonnes of glacial ice. Without the emissions caused by the three main sponsors of the event, these figures would be much lower: 2.3 square kilometers of snow cover and around 14 million tonnes of glacial ice.

That’s according to a January report from the New Weather Institute, which worked with Scientists for Global Responsibility and Champions for Earth to determine the environmental impacts of the 2026 Winter Olympics and whether or not hosting the Games was detrimental to the winter sports most affected by climate change. They found that while the Games themselves caused considerable carbon emissions, emissions caused by three of the event’s main sponsors – Italian energy company Eni, carmaker Stellantis and ITA Airways – could potentially give the event a much larger carbon footprint.

According to the report’s authors, promoting these companies at the Games is expected to increase emissions “due to increased sales of high-carbon goods and services” offered by these sponsors.

The report claims that Eni is responsible for more than half of the total emissions caused by the three main sponsors, followed by Stellantis and ITA. While acknowledging the difficulties of obtaining robust estimates of companies’ carbon emissions and the scale of Olympic sponsorship deals, the report claims that the additional business these companies could gain from their involvement in the Games could result in 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. This is 40 percent more than the direct footprint of the Olympics, estimated at around 930,000 tonnes.

This means an additional loss of 3.2 square kilometers of snowpack and more than 20 million tonnes of glacial ice, adding to the 2.3 square kilometers of snow and 14 million tonnes of ice already affected by the Games themselves. In other words, this report claims that the Winter Olympics are contributing to the decline in the viability of the very sports they celebrate.

In response to the findings, an Eni representative told WIRED that the report provided a biased estimate of the company’s contribution to emissions produced by the Games. The company also noted that “more than 90% of the fuels supplied by Eni to power the Games are derived 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-altering activities.

ITA responded to a request for comment by noting that “sustainability is a cornerstone of ITA Airways’ development strategy” and highlighted its new, more fuel-efficient fleet and plans to use sustainable aviation fuels. The Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, contacted directly about the environmental impact of the Games, declined to comment. Stellantis did not respond to requests for clarification on its Olympics-related sustainability initiatives.

Winter sports are increasingly rare due to their vulnerability to the effects of global warming. The numbers demonstrate an emergency already underway. Over the past five years, Games host Italy has lost 265 ski resorts. France, which will host the 2030 Winter Olympics, has seen more than 180 resorts close in the Alps. More than fifty ski lifts and cable cars have closed their doors in Switzerland. With each iteration, the Games become more and more dependent on artificial snow.

Of the 93 venues with the infrastructure to host the Winter Olympics, only 52 of them will be “climate-reliable” by the 2050s if global emissions continue at roughly their current rate, according to a 2024 study commissioned by the International Olympic Committee. In the 2080s, this number drops to 46.