Words about ecology at the Rio 2016 Olympics are at odds with reality

Garbage in the coastal areas of Rio de Janeiro

Journalist Ann Killion, covering the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), shared her observations on how the words about the need to protect the environment do not correspond to environmental reality.

The announcement about ecology at the Rio 2016 opening ceremony is certainly a useful and important step. However, words will not change the situation if practical actions have little to do with sustainability. We translate a fragment of the publication dated August 8 in the online edition of SFGate:

The real Games are not about sustainability at all. Not this Olympics. And no Olympics at all. The carbon footprint of millions of people moving to the venue alone is enough to make the concept of a green Olympics laughable.
The Games may be one of the least sustainable and eco-friendly events on the planet.
Now I'm on a bus with 4 other reporters on an hour-long journey to Copacabana. We passed several buses, which were generally empty. Thousands of buses are supervised 24 hours a day, some of which are full, some with a few passengers, and many are completely empty, but with full air conditioning.
We can't drink regular water here, so the plastic bottle nightmare is happening. I personally use 3-4 bottles a day. Terrifying. Waste bins seem to be designed for recycling, but if you look closely, you will see that all the garbage goes to the same place.

Alberto Ravelli presented an infographic in which he collected statistics on the ecology of the Summer Olympic Games currently taking place in Rio. Among the facts he presented:

3.6 million tons of carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere;
17,000 tons of garbage will be created, 6,000 tons of food will be eaten, 1,500 buses for athletes and staff will be used, 29,500 gigawatts of energy and 23,500 liters of fuel will be used;
the planes will transport 28,500 athletes and employees.

The good news is that:

prize medals are made from recycled materials;
employees and spectators will use 100% public transport for travel;
transport involved 2.8 million liters of ethanol and 4 million liters of biodiesel;
meat obtained from deforested areas will not be sold;
organic waste is promised to be composted (which, however, already contradicts the journalist's observation) .

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