Imagine the environmental cost: about 2 million cubic meters of water ー approximately 800 Olympics pools ー was needed to make the snow for the Beijing Winter Games.
Dry Beijing barely gets any winter precipitation, making this year's Winter Games the first to rely almost entirely on artificial snow. Organizers are touting the event's green credentials, but experts do worry about the environmental impact of such a massive snowmaking operation given the huge amounts of water and electricity it takes.