100 years of warming: How Paris' climate has changed since the city last hosted the Summer Olympics - KCRA Sacramento

How Paris' climate has changed since the city last hosted the summer Olympics

100 years of warming: How Paris' climate has changed since the city last hosted the Summer Olympics

The City of Light is now much more likely to experience days with dangerous heat and humidity.

Paris is hosting the Summer Olympics for the first time in 100 years.

While so much of the iconic city has remained the same, its climate has changed in noticeable ways. That change, happening as human carbon emissions lead to global temperature increases.

That warming has already had an effect on Olympic competition.

"The Tokyo Games became known as the hottest in history," said Kaitlyn Trudeau, a senior research associate with the group Climate Central.

According to a recent study by Climate Central, Paris is now experiencing 119 more hot, humid days compared to 1924. Nighttime temperatures are also warming with 80 more muggy nights compared to 100 years ago.

The increased potential for intense heat is on the minds of Olympic athletes preparing for competition. Hotter weather tends to reduce performance while increasing the risk of heat-related illness.

Dr. Eric Giza is a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at UC Davis. He has years of experience working with elite athletes, serving as the team doctor for the Sacramento Republic FC since 2014.

"Athletes are very driven people. They're very intense," said Giza. "Sometimes the one thing that these elite athletes can be prone to is not recognizing when it's time to make sure you take a break."

Ahead of every Sac Republic match, officials look at weather conditions. If temperature, humidity, wind and the angle of the sun combine to create dangerously hot conditions on the pitch, longer breaks are used for athlete safety.

Olympic officials will be making similar decisions ahead of each outdoor competition over the next two weeks. Some events may be postponed, held with longer breaks or in the worst case, cancelled altogether.

Paris' Athlete Village notably does not have air conditioning. To help Team USA recover well, the U.S. Olympic Committee is providing AC units for its athletes. Teams will also have access to cooling vests and blankets.

Giza said that on days with unusually high heat, a good nutrition and hydration foundation is key. That goes for athletes of all levels, elite or novice.

He and Trudeau both agree that the future of competitive sports will need to keep climate change in mind.

"If temperatures continue to rise, is it going to be safe to continue to have these games in the middle of summer?" asked Trudeau.

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