EXPERTS ADVISORY
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) experts are available to discuss the climate impacts of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, which will be held Feb. 6-22.

Shelie Miller, professor of environment and sustainability, is co-director of the Center for Sustainable Systems. She uses life cycle assessment and scenario modeling to identify environmental problems before they occur to help identify new, more creative solutions to avoid or reduce negative consequences.

“When it comes to these huge worldwide events, climate impacts must be weighed against the benefits of connecting across cultures to celebrate athletic achievement and the human spirit,” she said. “Since most of the climate impact comes down to travel, spectators can help reduce emissions by being selective when considering visiting multiple venues, taking advantage of Europe’s excellent train system rather than flying, and using public transportation over personal vehicles.”

Contact: [email protected]

Jonathan Overpeck, professor and dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability, is an expert on climate and weather extremes, sea-level rise and the impacts of climate change and options for dealing with it. He served as lead author on the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007 and 2014 reports.

“The Winter Olympics and outdoor winter sports have a big problem with worsening climate change and will have to adapt to what’s only going to get more challenging. Many favored winter sports locales are seeing shorter winters, less reliable cold and snow, and, sadly, more precipitation falling as rain,” he said. “A spreading dearth of snow will increasingly require winter sports enthusiasts to look to more northern, and higher altitude places to practice, compete and enjoy their sport. Hopefully, the rapidly falling costs of low-carbon energy will mean a faster end to climate change and a preservation of the winters we love, but people have to work harder to make this happen. Winters are at stake, but also so much more.”

Contact: [email protected]

Sara Soderstrom, associate professor of organizational studies and environment, is director of the Program in the Environment. She is also core faculty at the Erb Institute and co-lead of the Environmental Justice + Humanities Hub. In her research, she focuses on how people inside organizations lead change efforts to address environmental and social issues and how businesses can develop solutions to critical global sustainability challenges.

“The Olympics provide a great opportunity to showcase how sports can engage with sustainability and climate change,” she said. “The International Olympic Committee has made sustainability commitments around its facilities and infrastructure, resource use and mobility that they work toward in each games, as well as across their network of sports organizations. They can lead in showing how they’re working toward climate and sustainability goals and spread these insights to all who participate in the games.

“Athletes have a unique platform to highlight environmental and social concerns that may be amplified in the Winter Olympics, where so many sports have been directly impacted by climate change. Athletes through sponsorships, social media and interviews can bring attention to impacts of climate change and sustainability efforts. They leverage the power of sport to make more people aware and help others see how they can engage in their own actions towards a more sustainable future.”

Contact: [email protected]

Read the full experts advisory on the Michigan News website.