If you are an environmentalist… don’t read this interesting tidbit from Slate.com
“To track the flame’s slow assault on the atmosphere, we created a map that charts its total carbon emissions as it flies. Through Tuesday’s stop in Jakarta, the relay has traveled an estimated 37,518 miles, burned 202,597 gallons of jet fuel, and released 4,838,021 pounds of CO2. To put this in perspective, the average American leaves an annual carbon footprint of 42,000 to 44,000 pounds of CO2 emissions, according to the United Nations. That means the Olympic torch will spew as much greenhouse gas during its international travels as 153 Americans do a year. Put another way, the four-month torch relay puts twice as much carbon in the atmosphere as you will over the course of your entire life.