An ecological view of the Boston Olympics 2024
To employ an ecological view about the world one is essentially removing oneself from its current situation in time and thinking about a given situation holistically. In order to use this ecological view to look at the world one must think about how all systems are interconnected, complex, and amazing. This alters our perception of the world because we are no longer at the center of it all. In the minds of most people we think about the ways in which natural and man-made systems directly affect us and if they don’t then we most likely don’t think about them. An ecological view takes an entirely different approach and thinks about things in such a large scale that reminds us that every input, output, feedback, and disturbance impacts every organism regardless of whether or not we can see or feel it. In this way of thinking a relationship develops where humans are thinking about the ways in which systems function and the ways in which we can learn from and mimic those naturally occurring systems. We also can more accurately perceive the ways in which we have and are continuing to impact and alter those systems.
Right now as I am from Boston and returning home for “spring” break I cannot help but be fixated on the amount of snow that has and continues to bombard my home. Boston is also in the news right now as it is a potential candidate for the 2024 Olympic Summer games. Both of these issues, which are seemingly disconnected, make me think of all of the implications that come with hosting an international event. For this reason I propose an ecology of the Olympics. Before delving into a discussion about a potential 2024 Olympic Games in Boston I will first give a recap of what is going on in the city currently. Right now we have broken records in both temperature and snow fall. In many places we have surpassed 80 inches of snow, which has not had a chance to melt at all and is continuing to fall. Due to the incredible amount of snow government officials have allowed for the dumping of snow into Boston Harbor and other places along the shore in Quincy. This is going to have huge implications on the water when everything melts and will only work to exacerbate the positive feedback loops occurring in regards to climate change. This information is necessary for the ecology of Olympics because in a constantly changing climate due to human activities we need to begin evaluating our current situation when attempting to plan for events almost a decade into the future. The Olympics are not a small event either so planners need to think about where stadiums can be built, where people can stay during the event, how people will get around during the event, and surrounding all of these questions is the larger one of how to do so sustainably. No matter where the Olympics are held, even though Boston is my home and I am more directly concerned about a sustainable future for this city, we need people that are looking at all aspects of the system. We need to ensure that this event will not inhibit further climate change, specifically in terms of frequency and intensity of weather events. If Boston does host the summer Olympic games in 2024 I hope it is done so in a way that allows for economic growth yet doesn’t lead to continued record breaking temperatures and snow fall because we can’t keep functioning with eight feet of snow every winter! — Rose Thackeray