科学家：纯吃素未必更环保 肉类对地球生物至关重要

近年来素食主义倡导者大力宣传素食的环保效应，称吃素食不仅环保，还能拯救地球。然而科学家最近表示，纯素并不能更环保，肉类对地球生物至关重要。

Meat is crucial for feeding the planet, leading scientists have said, as they warned it is not more environmentally-friendly to go vegan.

知名科学家说，在给地球生物提供食物方面，肉类至关重要。他们警告说，纯素并不会更环保。

vegan[ˈviːɡən]：adj.严格的素食主义的

Experts from the University of Edinburgh and Scotland’s Rural College said farmers were increasingly feeling demonised by the unsupported ‘meat is evil’ claims being promoted by environmental lobbyists.

爱丁堡大学和苏格兰农村学院的专家说，环保游说人士鼓吹未经证实的“肉是邪恶的”言论，让农民日益感到自己被妖魔化。

demonise['di:mənaiz]：vt.使成为魔鬼

Speaking at a panel in central London, they argued that meat was critical for the physical and mental health of children, particularly in developing countries, and said that moving away from livestock farming would not improve land use.

他们在伦敦市中心举行的一个专题小组讨论会上发言，认为肉类对儿童身心健康至关重要，特别是在发展中国家。他们说，放弃畜牧业并不能改善土地使用状况。

Prof. Geoff Simm, Director of Global Academy Agriculture and Food Security at the University of Edinburgh, said: “I think (livestock farmers) do feel they are being demonised.

爱丁堡大学全球农业和粮食安全学院主任杰夫·西姆教授说：“我认为（畜牧业者）的确觉得自己在被妖魔化。”

“Often the argument is made that going vegan would minimise land use, and the modelling studies that have been done demonstrate that that’s not the case.

他说：“常有人声称，纯素能将土地使用降至最低水平，而已有的模型研究表明，情况并非如此。”

“We feel that while livestock production has a range of economic, social and environmental costs and benefits, the costs have perhaps been receiving far more attention recently than some of the benefits.

他说：“我们认为，尽管畜牧生产在经济、社会和环境方面有着众多成本及益处，但其成本最近受到的关注可能远超某些益处。”

“Meat has massive social benefits. It’s an important source of dietary protein, energy, highly bioavailable micronutrients, even small amounts of animal-sourced food have a really important effect on the development of children, in the developing world on their cognitive and physical development and they are really important.”

他说：“肉类有着巨大的社会效益。它是膳食中蛋白质、能量、高生物利用度的微量营养素的重要来源，即使是少量动物源性食品，对发展中国家儿童的认知和身体发育都有着非常重要的影响，非常重要。”

Prof Mike Coffey, from Scotland’s Rural College, added: “It’s completely unnecessary to go vegan.

苏格兰农村学院的迈克·科菲教授补充说：“纯素完全没有必要。”

“If everybody went vegan it would be devastating for the UK environment. Animals bred for food help boost biodiversity.”

他说：“如果每个人都成为纯素主义者，将对英国环境造成毁灭性影响。饲养动物供人食用有助于促进生物多样性。”

Researchers are currently attempting to breed more environmentally friendly cattle, which grow faster and eat less, which could further reduce the sector’s carbon footprint by reducing the amount of methane released by cows.

研究人员目前正试图养殖更环保的牛，它们长得较快、吃得较少，可以通过减少牛排放的甲烷量来进一步减少该行业的碳足迹。

Prof Coffey said that the difference in methane emissions from best and worst cattle was about 30 percent and that if all UK farmers used the most efficient animals this could reduce carbon emissions by nearly a third.

科菲教授说，最好的牛和最差的牛的甲烷排放量相差约30%，如果所有英国农民都使用最高效的牛，能使碳排放量减少近三分之一。

But Prof Coffey said the next stage will be trying to measure the methane given off by different breeds of cattle to find which are the lowest emitters.

科菲教授说，下一阶段将测量不同种类的牛释放的甲烷，找出哪些牛排放甲烷最少。

Prof Coffey said that soon shoppers could be able to check meat labels to find out how much environmental impact their food has had.

科菲教授说，消费者很快就可以通过查看肉类标签，了解他们的食品对环境有多大影响。

He added: “My expectation is that at some point in the near future there will be product labels that relates to the efficiency or carbon impact of the food.”

他还说：“我预计在不久的将来，会有与食品的效率或碳影响有关的产品标签出现。”

Professor Andrea Wilson, also of Edinburgh University, said more research was needed into the impact of veganism.

同样在爱丁堡大学供职的安德烈娅·威尔逊教授说，需要对纯素主义的影响进行更多研究。

She added: “We know a lot about the livestock sector because people have looked at it. We actually know very little about the vegan sector.

她还说：“我们对畜牧业了解颇多，因为人们对它有过研究。我们对纯素行业实际上知之甚少。

“The danger is we demonise one and jump too quickly to the other.”

她说：“危险在于，我们将一方妖魔化，而且太快地转向另一方。”