The organisers of the London Marathon will remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with the aim of becoming net zero by 2030.
London Marathon Events are aiming to remove more carbon than they emit across operations by the end of 2025.
Previously, London Marathon Events aim was to be net zero by 2040 instead. As well as offsets, the organisation is working to quantify emissions including Scope 3 emissions.
So far they have partnered with the organisation Climate Impact Partners to compensate certain emissions, and they have introduced a carbon levy for international participants.
They have also used HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil to power generators as a way to lower gas emissions).
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Speaking to the Evening Standard LME head of sustainability Kate Chapman said: “Clearly, we need to do everything we can to reduce those emissions.”
“We don’t want to be a big chunk of residual emissions that we’re then paying to remove to enable us to credibly call ourselves a net zero operation.”
“But the fact there is something that we can do to reduce those emissions. We don’t want to be left with a big chunk of residual emissions that we’re then paying to remove to enable us to credibly call ourselves a net zero operation”.
She also added that most of the emissions come from travel by the 9,920 participants, which is not usually calculated in the net zero emissions. Instead they will use the “climate levy” as a means to compensate.
The company London Marathon Event is using to offset emissions is CUR8, founder Mark Stevenson told the Evening Standard: “Then the amazing sci-fi hope is that in 2050 we’ve done that and we’ve actually started to pull back more than we’re putting out, that they can take the parts per million down again.”
