Green Daily

Unfortunate as it may be, most of the traditions surrounding the Olympics just aren't all that carbon-conscious: a trans-continental relay, a giant gas-burning torch, and a fireworks display designed to show the world that China is now a economic superpower. OK, that last one is mostly limited to this year's games. Still, since Beijing has labeled this year's games the Green Olympics, it seems as though they're trying to pass off a lot of questionable measures as eco-friendly -- even their fireworks display.

According to the suddenly eco-conscious ideologues in Beijing, this year's fireworks have been specially designed to "cause little pollution" -- whatever that means. We know that manufacturers have been testing non-toxic fireworks, but few details have been given about how Beijing's display will be green. As far as I can tell, there's only one clear-cut example: in order to keep the new national stadium from burning down, the flares will burn at "only" 518°F. Burning down the new stadium would definitely not be eco-friendly -- especially since it was constructed using 10 times the raw materials of a normal stadium.

Will we be able to see the explosions through the smog?