Les Jeux olympiques devraient mener Pékin vers des objectifs plus écologiques[en] 

The environment and sustainable development was highlighted by the Centennial Olympic Congress in Paris in 1994. Since then it has been included in the Olympic Charter as the third pillar of Olympism alongside sport and culture. 

The first Olympic Games to be held since then were at Lillehammer, which was widely regarded as a success story in terms of the environment. Sydney was also dubbed the 'green games', whereas opinion towards the Athens Games (2004) was more critical. Some argue that rushing to complete building work in Athens meant that the environment was not given the full attention it deserved.

Recent examples of actions taken on to offset greenhouse gases include the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics' funding of environmentally friendly energy projects in developing countries. The Green Goal initiative of the 2006 FIFA World Cup adopted similar measures to cover greenhouse gases that could not easily be reduced at home.

The 7th World Conference on Sport and the Environment is taking place in Beijing 25-27 October 2007. The conference brings together representatives of governmental and non-governmental institutions, the United Nations, universities, international sports federations and candidate cities, as well as environmental organisations such as Greenpeace, to talk about environmental sustainability in the Olympic Games. 

The aim of the meeting is to communicate and review the environmental work undertaken by the Olympic Movement and the accomplishments of the Beijing 2008 Games. The United Nations Environmental Review on the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was published on the first day of the conference.

The report concludes that "significant strides are being made to 'green' the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games". The report congratulates city's environmental efforts on waste management, cleaner transport systems and water treatment, as well as new urban green belts, including a 580-hectare Olympic Forest Park. 

According to the report, solar power is also being extensively deployed at stadia and at the Olympic village and "the organisers have well-developed plans to re-use and recycle venues after the games close." 

While acknowledging the environmental efforts, the report highlights the remaining concerns and missed opportunities that "there may still be time to rectify". 

Air pollution remains a priority concern. "More than 1,000 new cars are being registered daily and with coal remaining a key energy fuel, some key pollutants remain stubbornly high," states the UN. Other challenges include offsetting greenhouse gases, public awareness and under-utilisation of the city's expanding public transport network.

"Beijing has already achieved a great deal, an achievement even more resounding when one reflects on the enormous challenges facing one of the world's most rapidly growing developing economies and its principal cities," said the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner, adding, however, that more could be done to, for example, harness the city's new and existing public transport infrastructure.

Eric Falt from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said that carbon offsetting is "increasingly a feature of high-profile events and is an initiative being adopted by a growing number of sports organisations and private sector entities. It is not too late for Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) to openly declare a commitment on climate change and offsetting".