Next Step After Carbon: Knowing Your Nitrogen Footprint
This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。
A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide pollution that we produce as a result of our activities. Some people try to reduce their carbon footprint because they are concerned about climate change. Now, researchers have a way for people to measure how much nitrogen pollution they produce -- their nitrogen footprint.
碳足迹（也称为碳耗用量）是指人类活动产生的二氧化碳污染量。一些人关注气候变化，因此试图减少碳足迹。如今，研究人员为人们提供了一种衡量个人产生的氮污染量的办法－－氮足迹。
All plants and animals need nitrogen. Nitrogen is a major element in the proteins in our bodies. The atmosphere is mostly nitrogen.
所有动植物都需要氮。氮是人类身体中蛋白质的主要组成部分。大气中也主要是氮气。
In the early twentieth century, scientists learned how to take nitrogen out of the air and make it into a form that plants could use. University of Virginia professor Jim Galloway calls synthetic nitrogen fertilizer a "wonderful invention" because it increased food production. But he says many parts of the world use too much nitrogen fertilizer, and that harms the environment.
二十世纪初期，科学家们学会如何从空气中分离出氮气，并将其制成能被植物吸收利用的氮肥。弗吉尼亚大学的教授吉姆·加洛韦（Jim Galloway）称氮肥是一种伟大的发明，因为它能提高产量。但他表示，世界上很多地方过量使用氮肥，对环境造成了损害。
JIM GALLOWAY: "It contributes to smog, acid rain, loss of biodiversity, dead zones along the coast, global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion. The list is quite long."
吉姆盖洛韦：“它导致了烟雾，酸雨，臭氧消耗，沿海死亡区，全球变暖，生物多样性丧失等等举不胜举的问题。”
So Professor Galloway and other researchers have developed a nitrogen footprint calculator. This Web-based tool asks people about the foods they eat and questions like how much they fly and drive and how big a house they live in.
因此，加洛韦教授和其他研究人员开发出一种氮足迹计算器。这个网络工具询问人们食用的食物，以及乘机和驾车的里程，居住的房子面积一类的问题。
Researchers say the average American produces forty-two kilograms of nitrogen pollution a year. Some of that comes from fossil fuels like oil and coal. But more than seventy percent involves food.
研究人员表示，美国人每年平均产生42公斤氮污染。这其中一部分来自石油或煤炭一类的燃料，但超过70％的氮污染和食物有关。
University of Virginia researcher Allison Leach says Americans eat almost twice as much protein as the government recommends. She says eating only the recommended levels could reduce nitrogen footprints by almost half.
弗吉尼亚大学的研究员阿利森·利奇（Allison Leach）称，美国人食用的蛋白质几乎是政府建议的两倍。她表示，只吃政府建议水平的蛋白质可以减少近一半的氮足迹。
Professor Galloway says animal protein plays a big part. He points to the example of cattle that are given feed grown with nitrogen fertilizer.
加洛韦教授说，动物性蛋白质起着巨大作用。他举了用氮肥喂养牲畜的例子。
JIM GALLOWAY: "For large animals like beef, a very large fraction of the nitrogen that enters the cow's mouth is excreted out the back end."
盖洛韦：“像食用牛一类大型动物，绝大部分牛吃进的氮都排泄了出来。”
Last year, a study supported by American beef producers found that their industry's environmental impact has decreased over the past thirty years. Jude Capper at Washington State University reported that by producing more beef from fewer animals, the industry cut its carbon footprint by eighteen percent.
去年，美国牛肉生产商赞助的一项研究发现，在过去三十年，该行业对环境的影响有所下降。华盛顿州立大学的裘德·卡皮尔（Jude Capper）报告称，通过提高动物产肉量，该行业降低了18％的碳足迹。
The nitrogen calculator is currently designed for people in the United States, Germany and the Netherlands. Another online calculator will be designed for India.
氮计算器目前适用于美国、德国和荷兰。另一个在线计算器则适用于印度。 |