The Carbon Torch–An Olympic Footprint

Not only has the Olympic torch faced stiff resistance due to Beijing’s human rights record and prevailing environmental conditions, it has also faced some raised eyebrows about its rather collosal carbon footprint.  The torch is visiting 23 cities during a global voyage that includes such stops as London, Paris, San Francisco, Bangkok, and Islamabad. The Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee ”proudly” announced that the journey will cover more than 85,000 miles.

The torch travels by its own private plane, adorned with the Olympic logo and color scheme. The plane carrying the torch burns over 5 gallons of fuel per mile. That translates into 462,400 gallons for the entire trip.  So, this symbolic, yet highly controversial, flame could release roughly 4000-5,000 tons of carbon emissions by the time it arrives in Beijing in early August. This does not take into account the hotel room it inhabits along the way or any ground transportation.

To put the number in perspective, the torch’s tour will use the equivalent of over 400,000 gallons of gasoline and produce the annual emissions of 665 cars.