The Amazon is burning because the world eats so much meat
亞馬遜在燃燒，是因為人們吃了太多的肉
By Eliza Mackintosh / August 23, 2019
剪輯：BM︱翻譯：Ray︱校對：Sally
While the wildfires raging in the Amazon rainforest may constitute an "international crisis," they are hardly an accident.
盡管亞馬遜的熱帶雨林中肆虐的野火可能構成一場“國際危機”，但它們并非意外。
The vast majority of the fires have been set by loggers and ranchers to clear land for cattle. The practice is on the rise, encouraged by Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's populist pro-business president, who is backed by the country's so-called "beef caucus."絕大多數(shù)的火災都是由伐木工人和牧場主放火開墾養(yǎng)牛牧場造成的。這種做法正日漸增長，因為巴西重商業(yè)的平民主義總統(tǒng)賈爾·布爾索納羅（Jair Bolsonaro）支持這種做法，并得到該國所謂的“牛肉核心小組”的支持。While this may be business as usual for Brazil's beef farmers, the rest of the world is looking on in horror. 雖然這對巴西的養(yǎng)牛戶來說可能是平常的事，但世界其他地方的人們卻在恐懼中觀望。 So, for those wondering how they could help save the rainforest, known as "the planet's lungs" for producing about 20% of the world's oxygen, the answer may be simple. Eat less meat.那么，因為那里的雨林被稱為“地球之肺”，可以產生世界20%的氧氣，對于那些想知道如何幫助拯救雨林的人來說，答案可能很簡單，少吃肉。 It's an idea that Finland has already floated. On Friday, the Nordic country's finance minister called for the European Union to "urgently review the possibility of banning Brazilian beef imports" over the Amazon fires.芬蘭已經將他們的想法拋了出來。周五，由于亞馬遜大火，北歐國家的財政部長呼吁歐盟“緊急商定禁止巴西牛肉進口的可能性”。 Brazil is the world's largest exporter of beef, providing close to 20% of the total global exports, according the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) -- a figure that could rise in the coming years.根據(jù)美國農業(yè)部（USDA）的數(shù)據(jù)，巴西是世界上最大的牛肉出口國，其出口量占全球總出口量的近20%，這一數(shù)字在未來幾年可能還會上升。 The growth of Brazil's beef industry has been driven in part by strong demand from Asia -- mostly China and Hong Kong. These two markets alone accounted for nearly 44% of all beef exports from Brazil in 2018, according to the USDA.巴西牛肉產業(yè)的發(fā)展部分是由亞洲的強勁需求推動的，其中主要是中國和香港。根據(jù)美國農業(yè)部的數(shù)據(jù)，僅這兩個市場就占2018年巴西牛肉出口量的近44%。 And a trade deal struck in June between South America's Mercosur bloc of countries and the European Union could open up even more markets for Brazil's beef-packing industry.6月，南美共同市場國家集團與歐盟達成貿易協(xié)議，可能為巴西牛肉包裝行業(yè)開拓更多市場。And, with that growth, comes steep environmental costs.然后，隨著這一增長，是接踵而來的環(huán)境成本。
Brazil's space research center (INPE) said this week that the number of fires in Brazil is 80% higher than last year. More than half are in the Amazon region, spelling disaster for the local environment and ecology.巴西空間研究中心本周表示，巴西的火災數(shù)量比去年高出80%。超過一半是發(fā)生在亞馬遜地區(qū)，這意味著當?shù)丨h(huán)境和生態(tài)遭受了災難。Environmental campaigners blame this uptick on Bolsonaro, who they say has encouraged ranchers, farmers, and loggers to exploit and burn the rainforest like never before with a sense of impunity.環(huán)保運動人士把這種上漲歸咎于布爾索納羅，他們說，布爾索納羅鼓勵農場主、農民和伐木者比從前更大力地開采和燒毀雨林，毫無顧忌。 Bolsonaro has dismissed accusations of responsibility for the fires, but a clear shift seems to be underway.布爾索納羅駁斥了有關火災責任的指控，但一個明顯的轉變似乎正在發(fā)生。And if saving the rainforest isn't enough to convince carnivores to stop eating Brazilian beef -- the greenhouse gas emissions the cattle create may be.如果拯救雨林還不足以說服食肉者停止食用巴西牛肉，那么牛所產生的溫室氣體排放量大概會有說服力。Beef is responsible for 41% of livestock greenhouse gas emissions, and that livestock accounts for 14.5% of total global emissions. And methane -- the greenhouse gas cattle produce from both ends -- is 25 times more potent that carbon dioxide.牛肉占牲畜溫室氣體排放的41%，牲畜占全球總排放量的14.5%。而甲烷 — 牛從身體兩端產生的溫室氣體 — 的效力是二氧化碳的25倍。 An alarming report released last year by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, said changing our diets could contribute 20% of the effort needed to keep global temperatures from rising 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Namely, eating less meat.聯(lián)合國政府間氣候變化專門委員會（IPCC）去年發(fā)布的一份令人擔憂的報告說，改變我們的飲食習慣將有助于完成20%的努力，使全球氣溫上升不超過工業(yè)化前水平的2℃。也就是說，少吃肉。 Still, global consumption of beef and veal is set to rise in the next decade according to projections from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO).不過，根據(jù)經濟合作與發(fā)展組織（經合組織）和聯(lián)合國糧食及農業(yè)組織（糧農組織）的預測，未來十年全球牛肉和小牛肉的消費量將上升。 A joint report predicted global production would increase 16% between 2017 and 2027 to meet demand.一份聯(lián)合報告預測，2017年至2027年，全球牛肉產量將增長16%，以滿足需求。 The majority of that expansion will be in developing countries, like Brazil.大部分的產能擴張將發(fā)生在發(fā)展中國家，比如巴西。 剪輯：BM︱翻譯：Ray︱校對：Sally
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