This summer’s Beijing Olympics will be “basically” carbon neutral thanks to a series of energy saving measures such as the use of solar power and an afforestation program, a senior official said on Thursday.

Technology Minister Wan Gang said that the event was expected to generate 1.18 million tonnes of carbon, in part because so many athletes and spectators were traveling long distances.

“The ‘Green Olympics’ will take a series of measures, including technological ones, like planting of trees and controlling the use of vehicles, to reduce emissions by between 1 million and 1.29 million tonnes,” Wan told a news conference.

“We can basically ensure that emissions will be balanced.”

China plans to restrict use of cars during the Olympics to ease traffic on Beijing’s often-snarled roads and freeways.

But it would be unusual to count any reduction in pollution that resulted from vehicle controls towards an event’s overall emissions footprint.

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