Welcome back to Quit Playing Games (With Our Earth)! Last week, we explored how transport contributes to air pollution at the Olympic Games. Today, we will be looking at yet another aspect of the Olympic Games that significantly generates air pollution but often goes overlooked — the Olympic Torch.
The Olympic Torch is arguably the most symbolic element of the Olympic Games, though it often gets neglected by spectators in favour of sports matches and medal ceremonies. Its bright, fizzling flame that burns ever so fiercely not only epitomises the light of life, but also the spirit of resilience displayed by Olympic athletes. It is thus unsurprising that the Olympic Torch remains lit throughout the Olympic Games, given its cultural significance.
The Olympic Torch is traditionally regarded as a symbol of victory and resilience, earning it the honourable title of the ‘blaze of glory’ (Times Of India, 2021)
This (literal) blaze of glory to kickstart the Olympic Games, however, belies the sheer amount of pollutants released into the atmosphere. Such pollution occurs in several stages, with the first being transportation (linking back to what I mentioned in my previous post!). In this stage, the Olympic Torch is transported by air to different cities as part of the customary torch relay, producing carbon emissions. For example, at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Olympic Torch was carried around 23 cities (Demerjian, 2008). This expansive journey spanning over 85000 miles saw 462400 gallons of fuel being burnt, emitting an estimated 5500 tons of carbon dioxide (Demerjian, 2008).
The Olympic Torch being transported by plane to the UK for the 2012 Olympic Games (Meikle, 2012)
The second stage of lighting the Olympic Torch adds to these emissions. As reported by Madlin (2008), the Olympic Torch is fuelled by propane, with 12.6 pounds of carbon dioxide being emitted for every gallon of propane burnt. With the torch being perpetually lit, one can only imagine the amount of propane being burnt to prevent the flame from dying out, and the amount of carbon emissions produced. The Olympic Torch is thus symbolic of more than just athletes’ glory, but also the widespread air pollution that we are guilty of generating.
Therein lies the controversial question of whether the Olympic Torch should be cancelled, and if we should adopt environmentally-friendly alternatives (Zhou, 2015). Arriving at a consensus will undoubtedly be challenging given diverse stakeholder opinions — for example, host cities and the International Olympic Committee may prioritise the cultural symbolism of the Olympic Torch. Nonetheless, we should still raise awareness on the impacts of air pollution, so that stakeholders can obtain a clearer understanding of the trade-offs involved and make a more informed decision. In fact, some impacts at the city level will be covered in my next post, so do look forward to that!
References
Demerjian, D. (2008, April 8). Olympic Torch Emits 5,500 Tons of CO2. Wired. https://www.wired.com/2008/04/olympic-torch-e/
Madlin, C. (2008, April 29). The Carbon Olympics. Slate. http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/green_room/2008/04/the_carbon_olympics.html
Meikle, J. (2012, May 18). Olympic torch takes its seat for flight to UK. [Online image]. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/may/18/olympic-torch-flight-uk
Times Of India (2021). One year late, virus-delayed Tokyo Olympics torch relay begins. [Online image]. Times Of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tokyo-olympics/one-year-late-virus-delayed-tokyo-olympics-torch-relay-begins/articleshow/81681359.cms
Zhou, D. (2015). The IOC’s Social Responsibilities in Constructing Global Low Carbon Economy. International Journal of Simulation–Systems, Science & Technology, 16. https://doi.org/10.5013/ijssst.a.16.3a.10
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