BEIJING - Beijing's claim that it will hold a "clean and green" Olympics is coming under scrutiny amid fears of the return of severe smog in the Chinese capital and concerns over the use of fake snow that requires large amounts of water to produce.

Experts have pointed out that the creation and use of fake snow - from an estimated 49 million gallons of water - can cause irreparable damage to local flora and fauna, and lead to soil erosion that may result in flooding and small landslides.