研究揭示乳制品和奶牛放屁對環(huán)境的影響

研究揭示乳制品和奶牛放屁對環(huán)境的影響

The carbon impact of dairy butter can be more than three-and-a-half times that of its plant-based equivalents, according to a new report — with methane-producing dairy cows partly to blame.

根據(jù)一份新的報告，乳制品黃油對碳的影響可能是其植物性同類產(chǎn)品的3.5倍以上，而生產(chǎn)甲烷的奶牛要負(fù)部分責(zé)任。

With food production thought to be one of the largest causes of global environmental change, scientists carried out tests comparing plant-based spreads and margarines against dairy-based equivalents.

由于食品生產(chǎn)被認(rèn)為是造成全球環(huán)境變化的最大原因之一，科學(xué)家們進(jìn)行了測試，將植物性食品和人造黃油與乳制品進(jìn)行了對比。

They found that for each pound of product, the ‘mean’ CO2 equivalent for plant-based spreads was 7.3lbs — compared to a staggering 26.7lb for dairy-based products.

他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，每一磅產(chǎn)品的“平均”二氧化碳當(dāng)量為7.3磅，而以植物為基礎(chǔ)的產(chǎn)品為26.7磅。

This was an increase of more than three-and-a-half times, based on analysis of 212 plant-based spreads and margarines across 21 North American and European markets and 21 dairy butters.

根據(jù)對21個北美和歐洲市場的212種植物黃油和人造黃油以及21種乳制品黃油的分析，這一數(shù)字增長了3.5倍以上。

With the production of raw milk — the key ingredient in dairy butter — is responsible for 38 percent of the greenhouse gases coming from enteric emissions, or in other words, the methane caused by cows burping and breaking wind.

生牛奶是奶制黃油的關(guān)鍵成分，其生產(chǎn)產(chǎn)生的溫室氣體中有38% 來自腸道排放，換句話說，就是奶牛打嗝和放屁所產(chǎn)生的甲烷。

In fact, just one 8.8oz pack of dairy butter equates to 2.2lbs of cow emissions (2.2lb CO2 eq).

事實上，一包8.8盎司的奶油，就相當(dāng)于2.2磅的牛的排放量(2.2磅的二氧化碳當(dāng)量)。

And while carbon dioxide usually gets the bad rap, methane is about 80 times more powerful at trapping heat and is responsible for 25 percent of global warming.

雖然二氧化碳通常被認(rèn)為是不好的，但甲烷吸收熱量的能力大約是其80倍，并且對全球變暖負(fù)有25% 的責(zé)任。

The report, written by a group of scientists based on a study of Upfield’s margarines, has been published in The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.

這份報告是由一組科學(xué)家基于對上菲爾德人造黃油的研究而撰寫的，已經(jīng)發(fā)表在《國際生命周期評估雜志》上。

“In order to achieve emissions targets designed to limit global warming to 1.5° by 2050, there needs to be a fundamental transformation of our food system. In Western countries especially, we currently rely too heavily on meat and dairy,” said Sally Smith, Head of Sustainability at Upfield.

“為了實現(xiàn)到2050年將全球變暖控制在1.5°以內(nèi)的排放目標(biāo)，我們需要對糧食系統(tǒng)進(jìn)行根本性的改革。特別是在西方國家，我們目前過于依賴肉類和奶制品。”Upfield的可持續(xù)發(fā)展主管薩莉?史密斯(Sally Smith)表示。

“It is our responsibility as a forward-thinking company to understand and act to address the impact of our plant-based products on the environment. A shift to regenerative agricultural practices will be key for both arable and dairy farmers. Robust lifecycle assessments help ensure that our approach is data-driven and grounded on the latest scientific evidence.”

“作為一家具有前瞻性思維的公司，我們有責(zé)任理解并采取行動解決我們以植物為基礎(chǔ)的產(chǎn)品對環(huán)境的影響。 向可再生農(nóng)業(yè)模式的轉(zhuǎn)變對于耕地和奶牛場的農(nóng)民來說都很關(guān)鍵。 健壯的生命周期評估有助于確保我們的方法是數(shù)據(jù)驅(qū)動的，并以最新的科學(xué)證據(jù)為基礎(chǔ)。”

The study revealed cattle feed production and livestock rearing — including cow-related burps, farts and manure management — contributed significantly to climate change impacts, with a higher impact than most other factors.

研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，牛飼料生產(chǎn)和牲畜飼養(yǎng)——包括與牛相關(guān)的打嗝、放屁和糞便管理——對氣候變化的影響顯著，其影響高于大多數(shù)其他因素。

Packaging for plant-based spreads makes up 8 percent of its emissions compared to 1 percent for butter, with the latter often wrapped in a lightweight paper compared to a tub.

以植物為基礎(chǔ)的醬料的包裝占其總排放量的8%，而以黃油為基礎(chǔ)的醬料的包裝通常用比較輕便的紙包裝，占其總排放量的1%。

“As our products generally have a significantly lower carbon footprint, use less water and less land, we have an opportunity to help people understand the impact that food choices have on the environment and therefore help them to make a more informed choice that is better for the planet,” Smith continued.

史密斯繼續(xù)說道: “由于我們的產(chǎn)品通常碳足印較低，用水較少，土地較少，我們有機(jī)會幫助人們了解食物選擇對環(huán)境的影響，從而幫助他們做出更明智的選擇，這對地球更有利。”。

The life cycle assessment of Upfield’s margarines and spreads is in line with growing consumer attitudes towards meat, dairy and plant-based alternatives, which continue to prompt debate.

對 Upfield 人造黃油和涂料的生命周期評估，與消費(fèi)者對肉類、乳制品和植物性替代品日益增長的態(tài)度是一致的，這繼續(xù)引起爭論。

It follows separate research by Dr. Hannah Ritchie, from the University of Oxford, who concluded the “eating local” mantra was a “misguided piece of advice” when discussing climate change.

在此之前，牛津大學(xué)的漢娜 · 里奇博士進(jìn)行了另一項研究，她總結(jié)說，在討論氣候變化問題時，“吃本地食品”是一個“錯誤的建議”。

Her study revealed transport emissions are often a very small percentage of food’s total emissions – only 6 percent globally.

她的研究顯示，交通運(yùn)輸?shù)呐欧磐ǔＶ徽际称房偱欧诺暮苄∫徊糠?mdash;—全球僅占6%。