你今天吃素了嗎? ....................純素地球~世界更樂活! ........... Be Vegan, Make Peace

2008/2/9

採取行動,遏止極地冰層融化 Taking Action to Stop the Melting Polar Ice

英國新聞組（原文為英文）
By UK News Group (Originally in English)

「全球暖化已過了臨界點，但尚未到無可挽回的地步，我們仍可及時力挽狂瀾，但是要立即採取行動，趕緊回頭。」～詹姆士‧韓森博士（美國太空總署首席氣候學家）
“We have passed the tipping points, but, we have not passed a point of no return. We can still roll things back in time but it is going to require a quick turn in direction.” Dr. James Hansen - top climatologist of NASA

許多人都意識到全球暖化已嚴重波及地球的一切生物。畜牧業、燃燒石化能源的工廠、發電廠、汽車和其他各種交通工具，排放出大量的二氧化碳和甲烷等各種氣體，這些氣體使太陽的熱能無法釋放至外太空，而產生溫室效應，造成地球和大氣層的溫度上升。然而很少人知道這種情況正對地球造成立即的影響，您可知從2007 年的9月3日至9日，僅僅六天的時間而已，北極冰層已經有六萬九千平方英里融化消失了？消失的冰塊約為佛羅里達州的面積那麼大。美國太空總署最近發佈的衛星影像顯示，單是2007年夏天，格陵蘭冰原就有五千五百二十億噸的冰融化了。太空總署的氣候科學家傑‧齊瓦利（Jay Zwally）說：「以這種融化的速度，到了2012年夏末時，北冰洋的冰將會消失殆盡，比先前預測的快了許多。」
Many people are aware that global warming has serious implications for all life on our planet. Animal farming, the burning of fossil fuels by factories, power stations, cars and other forms of transport release huge amounts of gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. These gases create a “green house” effect by trapping the Sun’s heat and warming our planet and atmosphere. However, few people know of the immediate effect that this is having on our Earth. Did you know that from September 3 to 9, 2007, (in just 6 days) 69,000 square miles of Arctic ice melted and disappeared? That’s a piece of ice the size of the state of Florida, USA. The American space agency, NASA, recently revealed satellite images showing that this summer alone, 552 billion tons of ice had melted from the Greenland ice sheet. NASA climate scientist Jay Zwally said, “At this rate, the Arctic Ocean could be nearly ice-free at the end of summer 2012, much faster than previous predictions.”

與美國前任副總統艾爾‧高爾（Al Gore）同獲2007年諾貝爾和平獎的跨政府氣候變遷小組（IPCC），正呼籲世人重視這個緊急情況。2008年元月15日星期二，該小組的主席帕卓里博士（Dr. Rajendra Pachauri）在一場記者會上宣佈了這個問題的緊迫程度，並表示「改變生活方式」可遏止氣候變遷，他大聲明確地疾呼：「不吃肉、騎腳踏車、少消費，就可協助遏止全球暖化。」
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with US former Vice-President Al Gore, is bringing attention to this critical situation. On Tuesday, January 15, IPCC Chairman, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, announced at a press conference the urgency of the matter and stated that “lifestyle changes” are one thing that can halt climate change. His message was loud and clear: Don’t eat meat, ride a bike, and be a frugal shopper -- that’s how you can help put the brake on global warming.

海平面上升與棲息地消失
科學家們憂心忡忡，因為冰層融化正加速全球暖化，並且直接改變氣候和天氣體系。造成這種情況的原因在於，極地冰層就像一面鏡子，可將八成的太陽熱能反射回太空，如果把鏡子拿掉，海洋就會直接吸收太陽的熱能，造成海水溫度上升，水溫上升又會融化更多冰，如此惡性循環更加速地球和海洋的暖化。
Rising sea level and loss of habitats
Scientists are extremely worried because the melting ice is causing a faster rate of global warming as well as immediate changes in climate and weather systems. The reason is because the sea ice acts as a mirror, reflecting about 80% of the Sun’s heat energy back into space. If you take away this mirror, the Sun’s heat will be absorbed directly into the oceans, raising the water temperature more, which in turn melts more ice and causes more warming of the Earth and the seas.

主持「北極氣候影響評估報告」（Arctic Climate Impact Assessment）的科學家羅伯特‧柯瑞爾（Robert Correll）說：「如果沒有冰層，海洋的溫度將會持續上升，進而加速全球暖化的過程。」事實上，根據華盛頓大學麥可‧史帝爾（Michael Steele）的研究顯示，北冰洋表層在夏天的溫度，創下有史以來最高的紀錄，有些地方還高於常溫達華氏八度之多。
Robert Correll, a scientist who chairs the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, said, “If there is no ice, the ocean is going to continue to heat, and that is going to accelerate the global warming process.” In fact, according to research from University of Washington’s Michael Steele, summer surface temperatures of the Arctic Ocean are the highest ever in recorded history, with some places being 8 degrees Fahrenheit above normal.

曾任政府各部門首長的地質學家約翰‧亞其森（John Atcheson）表示，極地冰帽融化和隨之而來的海水暖化，可能引起極為嚴重的後果。他的研究指出，四千億噸的甲烷氣被封存於海底下的冰凍層，如果海水溫度上升個幾度的話，這些氣體就會釋放到大氣層中，後果將不堪設想。因為就溫室氣體而言，甲烷的威力是二氧化碳的二十倍，所以這些巨量的甲烷如果釋放到大氣層中，很可能使全球暖化的情況如脫韁的野馬，為地球帶來毀滅性的後果。
The melting of the polar ice caps and the consequent warming of the Earth’s seas could have very serious ramifications according to John Atcheson, a geologist who has headed various government agencies. According to his research, 400,000 million tons of methane gas are trapped in ice structures beneath the ocean floors, which might be released into the atmosphere if the water’s temperature increases by a few degrees. This could be disastrous because methane is 20 times stronger than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. So, if this massive amount of trapped methane were to be released in to the atmosphere, it would likely cause run-away global warming with devastating consequences for our planet.

海洋中的毒氣
全球暖化對海水溫度的影響，已導致海洋中出現「無生命地帶」，這些廣大的水域由於氧氣被剝奪，又釋放出硫化氫這種毒氣，因此已經沒有任何生物了。根據聯合國的報告指出，全球目前已經出現兩百多處「無生命地帶」。有一處出現在太平洋的「無生命地帶」，距離美國奧勒岡州的海岸不遠，其範圍在去年已擴大了四倍。奧勒岡州立大學海洋生物學教授珍‧魯茜科（Jane Lubchenco）表示，這個區域幾乎已經完全缺氧了，當氧氣消失時，一種新細菌就會取而代之，並產生硫化氫這種令大多數海陸生物致命的毒氣。兩個使海水中含氧量降低的主因都與全球暖化有關，其一：由於水溫越來越高，導致海水吸收氧氣的能力變差；其二：洋流和天氣的變化使氧氣無法被帶到該區域；有些科學家更指出，這種情況可能是地球上的海洋即將發生變化的前兆。
我們可以扭轉大局！
Oceanic poisonous gases
The effects of global warming on the sea’s temperatures have lead to the occurrence of “dead zones” in the ocean. These are massive areas of water that have no life due to oxygen deprivation and the release of poisonous hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S). According to reports from the United Nations, over 200 of these dead zones now exist. One that emerged in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Oregon, USA, in the last year has increased four times in size. Jane Lubchenco, a professor of marine biology at Oregon State University said that there is nearly a complete absence of oxygen in this area. When the oxygen disappears a new bacteria takes over and produces hydrogen sulfide gas, which is lethal to most marine and terrestrial life. The two main reasons for the lower levels of oxygen in the water are both related to global warming: (1) As the water gets warmer it has less ability to absorb oxygen; (2) The disruption of the water currents and weather prevents oxygen being transported to the area. Some scientists say that this could be a sign of things to come for the Earth’s oceans.

值得慶幸的是，扭轉情勢，時猶未晚。研究全球暖化的頂尖專家之一，也是美國太空總署氣候研究的首席科學家詹姆士‧韓森博士（Dr. James Hansen），在最近的一封信函中寫道：「情況尚未到無可挽回的地步，我們仍可及時力挽狂瀾，但是要立即採取行動，趕緊回頭。」許多政府與組織已經在採取行動，並盡力尋求進一步的因應之道。最近在印尼峇里島舉行了一場國際會議，全球各國的外交官代表自己的國家出席會議，大家齊聚一堂努力尋求拯救地球的方法。
We can reverse this!
The good news is that, it’s not too late to turn things around. One of the top experts on global warming and the head of NASA’s climate research, Dr. James Hansen, wrote in a recent letter: “We have not passed a point of no return. We can still roll things back in time but it is going to require a quick turn in direction.” Various governments and organizations have been taking action and trying to find further solutions. Most recently in Bali, Indonesia, an international conference brought together diplomats representing nations around the world who came together to try and find ways to save the planet.

然而，一如韓森博士經常用以提醒人們的話，解決之道就是每個人都要為自己的行為負責。因此，改變我們的生活方式是很重要的，這表示我們要多搭乘大眾交通工具、步行或騎腳踏車，以生質燃料取代石化燃料，使用省電產品而且不用的時候要拔掉插頭，只購買真正需要的東西，這些都是每個人舉手之勞就可以拯救這個美麗星球的方法，而最重要的改變，就是跨政府氣候變遷小組的主席帕卓里博士所強調的--不吃肉。
However, as Dr. Hansen often likes to remind people, the answer is for every person to take personal responsibility for their actions. Hence, changes to our lifestyle are significant. That means taking public transport more and walking or using a bicycle, using bio-fuels instead of fossil fuels, using energy-efficient appliances and unplugging when not in use and buying only what we really need. These are all small steps that every individual can take to save this beautiful planet. The most important change, as emphasized by IPCC Chairman Dr. Pachauri, is to stop eating meat.

因此，為了協助化解地球危機，每個人都應該採行慈悲而且更環保的素食或純素飲食。讓我們一起努力，使2008年成為協助保護地球及其一切生物的一年。
So to be part of the solution, encourage everyone to adopt the compassionate and distinctly more “eco-friendly” vegetarian or vegan diet! Let’s make 2008 the year to help preserve our Earth and the lives of all Her inhabitants.

參考資料：
References:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iIVBkZpOUA9Hz3Xc2u-61mDlrw0Q http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1215-24.htm http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=3ef937b0-01db-4b32-a7eb-e1256e5b5624&k=3152 http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/07/healthscience/ice.php http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3991705 http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/GlobalWarming/story?id=3582433&page=1 http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/voices.php/2006/08/12/dead_zone_startles_scientists_graveyard http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_22_167/ai_n14791407 http://www.livescience.com/environment/ap_060727_dead_zone.html

http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/ch/news/194/index.htm
http://classic.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/news/194/index.htm

2008/2/5

SOS! THE ICE that MELTS TOO FAST

2008/1/31

素食是遏止全球暖化最有效的方法 Vegetarian Diet, the Most Effective Way to Stop Global Warming

美國新聞組（原文為英文）
By USA News Group (Originally in English)

不吃肉、騎腳踏車、少消費，就可協助遏止全球暖化
～聯合國「跨政府氣候變遷小組」主席帕卓里博士於2008年元月15日講於巴黎

Don’t eat meat, ride a bike, and be a frugal shopper -- that’s how you can help brake global warming. – Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Paris, January 15, 2008　

有許多眾所周知的方法可以減少二氧化碳的排放，例如：減少石化燃料的使用、使用太陽能或風力等再生能源、開省油的車子或替代能源車、使用省電的電子產品，並切實做到減量、重複使用和回收等。然而，遏止全球暖化最有效的方法就是吃素。

There are numerous ways that are commonly known to reduce carbon dioxide emissions: reducing fossil fuel usage; engaging in renewable energies such as solar or wind power; reducing, reusing and recycling everyday items; driving a fuel-efficient or alternative energy car; using energy-saving electronics, and others. Yet the most powerful way to stop global warming is to adopt a vegetarian diet!

在聯合國「跨政府氣候變遷小組」（IPCC）於元月15日所召開的記者會上，主席帕卓里博士（Dr. Pachauri）提出警告說：「如果人類不即刻採取行動的話，氣候變遷將導致嚴重的後果。」他也明確指出，遏止氣候變遷的方法就是不吃肉，並改成更環保的生活方式。

In a press conference on January 15, held by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the head of the IPCC, Dr. Pachuari warned that if the human race doesn’t act now, “climate change will have serious impacts.” He also clearly stated that the way to halt climate change is to stop eating meat, and make a change to a greener lifestyle.

聯合國於2006年發表的一份關於牲畜與環境的報告指出：「無論是從地方或全球的角度而言，畜牧業都是造成嚴重環境危機前三名最主要的元凶之一。」幾乎有20%的二氧化碳排放來自於畜牧業，這比全世界所有交通工具的總排放量還多！

The United Nations’ report on livestock and the environment published in 2006 revealed that, “The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental crisis, at every scale from local to global.” Almost a fifth (20 percent) of carbon emissions come from livestock - that’s more emissions than from all of the world’s transportation combined!

工廠化養殖業是破壞環境和排放溫室氣體的主凶，這項事實令許多人跌破眼鏡。

Industrialized animal-based agriculture is “astonishingly” the main cause of environmental destruction and greenhouse gas emissions.

飼養動物作為食物，是產生二氧化碳的最大根源之一，同時也是排放甲烷和一氧化二氮的最大來源。全球9%的二氧化碳、65%的一氧化二氮及37%的甲烷排放，都是肇因於畜牧業所從事的人為相關活動，其中甲烷（溫室效應為二氧化碳的20倍）和一氧化二氮（溫室效應為二氧化碳的296倍）兩者都是比二氧化碳更具破壞力的溫室氣體。畜牧業也產生64%的人為氨氣，這種氣體對酸雨的形成難辭其咎。

Raising animals for food is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide and the single largest source of both methane and nitrous oxide emissions. The livestock sector accounts for 9 percent of carbon dioxide, 65 percent of nitrous oxide and 37 percent of methane produced from human-related activities. Both methane (20 times) and nitrous oxide (296 times) are considerably more potent greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide. Livestock also generates 64 percent of human-related ammonia, which contributes to acid rain.

畜牧業也是破壞、污染土地與水源的最大元凶，目前牲畜養殖就佔用了地球30%的土地，而且有更多的土地與水資源被用於種植牲畜的飼料。負責為聯合國糧農組織撰寫報告書的資深作家史坦菲爾先生（Mr. Steinfeld），在「牲畜長遠的陰影：環境問題與選擇」（Livestock's Long Shadow–Environmental Issues and Options）一文指出：「畜牧業是濫伐森林的元凶…亞馬遜原有的森林中有70%都變成了牧場。」此外，畜牧業更是破壞土地的罪魁禍首，約有20%的牧場用地因過度放牧、密集飼養牲畜與遭受侵蝕，地力被破壞殆盡。畜牧業也消耗並污染了大量的水資源，單是在美國，每年就有數兆加侖的灌溉用水，用來種植牲畜的飼料，約佔美國淡水資源的85%。而牲畜產生的大量排泄物，也令生態系統難以負荷。

It is also a major source of land and water damage and pollution. Livestock currently use 30 percent of the Earth’s land surface, and even more land and water is used to grow the feed for livestock. According to Mr. Steinfeld, the senior author of the Food and Agriculture Organization report, Livestock’s Long Shadow–Environmental Issues and Options, livestock is the “major driver of deforestation … some 70 percent of former forests in the Amazon have been turned over to grazing.” In addition, animal-based agriculture causes land degradation. About 20 percent of pastures are degraded through overgrazing, compaction and erosion. It is also responsible for vast water consumption and pollution. In the USA alone, trillions of gallons of irrigation water is used to grow crops to feed animals annually. This is about 85 percent of the USA’s fresh water resources. Animals also generate excessive amounts of biological waste for the ecosystem to take.

美國畜牧業生產一公斤食物的耗水量

一公斤食物	耗水量（公升）
牛肉	1,000,000
雞肉	3,500
黃豆	2,000
米	1,912
小麥	900
馬鈴薯	500

Water consumption in generating one kilo of food in US
animal-based agriculture

1 kg of meat	Water (liter)
Beef	1,000,000
Chicken	3,500
Soybean	2,000
Rice	1,912
Wheat	900
Potato	500

除了破壞環境和生態系統之外，不難估算出畜牧業是最浪費能源的產業；人們耗費了龐大的能源，只為了將牲畜變成餐桌上的肉食。而且生產一公斤的肉，也會排放36.4公斤的二氧化碳。根據計算，生產一卡熱量的黃豆蛋白質僅需兩卡的石化能源，玉米或小麥則需要三卡；然而生產一卡熱量的牛肉蛋白質，卻需消耗54卡的石油能源！

Besides the damages to the environment and ecosystem, it is not hard to calculate that animal-based agriculture is the least energy-efficient practice; it takes enormous energy to convert livestock to meat on people’s dining table. Producing one kilogram of meat causes carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to 36.4 kilos. It is calculated that to produce one calorie of protein takes only two calories of fossil fuel for soybean, three calories for corn and wheat, but it takes 54 calories of petroleum energy for beef protein!

由此顯示出，生產一份牛肉漢堡所消耗的石化能源，是生產一份黃豆漢堡的27倍！

It means it takes 27 times as much fossil fuel energy to make a hamburger as it takes to make a soy burger!

綜觀能源成本、耗水量、土地使用、環境污染、生態威脅等各方面，我們毫不意外地發現，生產一份肉食餐飲所消耗的資源，足以提供至少十五份的蔬食餐飲。

n combination of energy cost, water consumption, land usage, environmental pollution, ecosystem disruption, it is not surprising to learn that one meat-based diet could feed 15 plant-based diets or more.

去年，芝加哥大學地球物理科學系的研究員吉登‧埃胥爾（Gidon Eshel）和潘蜜拉‧瑪汀（Pamela Martin）的研究，也顯示了食物生產和環境問題之間的關聯。他們將生產紅肉、魚肉、禽肉、牛奶和蛋類所產生的溫室氣體加以量化，並與生產純素糧食所產生的溫室氣體量對照，結果發現，從標準的美式飲食轉換成蔬食，每人每年可以減少1.5公噸的溫室氣體排放。相較之下，從豐田Camry轎車轉換成豐田Prius油電混合車，則可減少約1公噸的二氧化碳排放量。

Last year, researchers from the Department of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago, Gidon Eshel and Pamela Martin, also disclosed the connections between food production and environmental problems. They quantified the greenhouse gas consequences of red meat, fish, poultry, milk and eggs, and compared those numbers to a vegan diet. They found that switching from the standard American diet to a plant-based diet could result in preventing an extra ton and a half of greenhouse emissions per person per year. By contrast, switching from a standard sedan like a Toyota Camry to a hybrid Toyota Prius saves about one ton of CO₂ emissions.

假設熱量攝取相等，與純素飲食相比，以各種肉類為主的飲食會使溫室氣體所造成的負荷雪上加霜。為了便於比較，右圖亦列出不同款式汽車在排放溫室氣體方面的差異。

以混合了紅肉、禽肉和魚肉的飲食為例，當攝取自肉類的熱量達到47%時，所造成的溫室氣體排放量，相當於Suburban運動休旅車和Camry轎車之間溫室氣體排放的差異。

The greenhouse gas burdens
exerted by various animal-based diets compared to a vegan diet of the same caloric intake. For comparison, the differences in greenhouse gas emissions among various car models are also shown.

For example, a mixed-meat diet, which combines red meat with poultry and fish, matches the emissions disparity between a Suburban and a Camry when caloric intake from animal sources reaches 47 percent.

抉擇就在你的廚房裡：儘管人們無視於畜牧業罔顧道德的殘酷行為，遏止氣候變遷的緊迫程度與作法已昭然若揭，這不只是素食者或環保人士的說法而已，目前聯合國「跨政府氣候變遷小組」的主席帕卓里博士已告知世人，吃肉對我們的星球有害，我們應該停止吃肉以扭轉情勢；然而這有賴於人們作出正確的抉擇。我們每個人都有責任使地球變得更涼爽、更潔淨、更健康，方法很簡單，只要從自家廚房開始做起，也就是選擇吃素，並協助扭轉氣候變遷的頹勢。

The choice is right in your kitchen: Even if one chooses to close their eyes to the ethical cruelty in animal-based agriculture, the urgency of stopping climate change and how to do it is clear. And it’s not just the vegetarians or environmentalists who are saying it; now the head of an international body, Dr. Pachauri, has announced to the world that the effects of meat-eating are detrimental to our planet and that we should stop eating meat in order to turn things around. Yet it comes down to people’s choice. We’re all responsible for a cooler, cleaner and healthier Earth. So simply start in your kitchen: choose a vegetarian diet and help reverse climate change.

參考資料：
Reference:
1.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/vegetarian-is-the-new-pri_b_39014.html 2.http://www.goveg.com/environment-globalwarming.asp 3.http://www.satyamag.com/feb07/eshel.html

Dr. Will Turtle: The world peace diet chapter 11 and the references used therein
4.http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iIVBkZpOUA9Hz3Xc2u-61mDlrw0Q
5.http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20772&Cr=global&Cr1=warming 6.http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Aug97/livestock.hrs.html
7.衛爾．託特博士（Dr. Will Turtle）：世界和平的飲食第11章及參考引據資料

文章來自清海無上師新聞雜誌194期”http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/ch/news/194/index.htm
http://classic.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/news/194/index.htm

2008/1/30

挪威總理：南極冰融警鐘響起

更新日期:2008/01/21 11:22

（路透南極特洛站20日電）挪威總理史托騰柏格（Jens Stoltenberg ）訪問冰雪遍地的南極大陸之後於今天表示，警鐘正在提醒我們南極大陸冰雪加速融化的危險。南極冰雪融化可能讓全球海平面升高。

科學家表示，新偵測到的南極地底湖泊是否可能讓冰雪崩進大海或氣候變遷是否可能讓南冰洋暖化，且讓海上浮冰融化讓冰河後退，都有難以量化的風險。

史托騰柏格結束為期2天的挪威特洛研究站（Troll station）訪問行程後告訴路透：「情況令人擔憂。決策者忽視這些徵兆是不負責任的。」特洛研究站位於南極東部。

挪威上週訂定一個遠大目標，希望在2030年以前成為「碳平衡」（carbon neutral）的國家，也就是將燃燒石化燃料後的廢氣排放量減到0。

然而挪威的計畫包括計入大森林的計算方法，因為目前聯合國的規定不允許各國將森林計入碳平衡計畫，使得挪威這項措施引起爭議。這種計算方法是，森林能夠吸收溫室效應氣體，計算森林就能得出吸收總量，作為抵消石化燃料廢氣的依據。

史托騰柏格在距離海岸250公里的研究站說：「我們需要更精確的知識。科學家沒說他們知道（南極）正在發生什麼事，但是他們擔心南極大陸上的冰雪可能滑入海中並融化。」中央社（翻譯）

2008/1/28

Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler

Finally someone tells the truth!

There is a great article "Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler" on the front page of the 'Week in Review' section in today's NY Times. The Times made sure that it pointed out the author "is not a vegetarian". It's a good article to be forwarded to people we know. Here is the link to the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Rethinking+the+Meat-Guzzler&st=nyt&oref=slogin

The New York Times, Sunday, January 27, 2008

The World

Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler

By MARK BITTMAN

A SEA change in the consumption of a resource that Americans take for granted may be in store — something cheap, plentiful, widely enjoyed and a part of daily life. And it isn't oil. Skip to next paragraphIt's meat.

The two commodities share a great deal: Like oil, meat is subsidized by the federal government. Like oil, meat is subject to accelerating demand as nations become wealthier, and this, in turn, sends prices higher. Finally — like oil — meat is something people are encouraged to consume less of, as the toll exacted by industrial production increases, and becomes increasingly visible.

Global demand for meat has multiplied in recent years, encouraged by growing affluence and nourished by the proliferation of huge, confined animal feeding operations. These assembly-line meat factories consume enormous amounts of energy, pollute water supplies, generate significant greenhouse gases and require ever-increasing amounts of corn, soy and other grains, a dependency that has led to the destruction of vast swaths of the world's tropical rain forests.

Just this week, the president of Brazil announced emergency measures to halt the burning and cutting of the country's rain forests for crop and grazing land. In the last five months alone, the government says, 1,250 square miles were lost.

The world's total meat supply was 71 million tons in 1961. In 2007, it was estimated to be 284 million tons. Per capita consumption has more than doubled over that period. (In the developing world, it rose twice as fast, doubling in the last 20 years.) World meat consumption is expected to double again by 2050, which one expert, Henning Steinfeld of the United Nations, says is resulting in a "relentless growth in livestock production."

Americans eat about the same amount of meat as we have for some time, about eight ounces a day, roughly twice the global average. At about 5 percent of the world's population, we "process" (that is, grow and kill) nearly 10 billion animals a year, more than 15 percent of the world's total.

Growing meat (it's hard to use the word "raising" when applied to animals in factory farms) uses so many resources that it's a challenge to enumerate them all. But consider: an estimated 30 percent of the earth's ice-free land is directly or indirectly involved in livestock production, according to the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization, which also estimates that livestock production generates nearly a fifth of the world's greenhouse gases — more than transportation.

To put the energy-using demand of meat production into easy-to-understand terms, Gidon Eshel, a geophysicist at the Bard Center, and Pamela A. Martin, an assistant professor of geophysics at the University of Chicago, calculated that if Americans were to reduce meat consumption by just 20 percent it would be as if we all switched from a standard sedan — a Camry, say — to the ultra-efficient Prius. Similarly, a study last year by the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science in Japan estimated that 2.2 pounds of beef is responsible for the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the average European car every 155 miles, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days.

Grain, meat and even energy are roped together in a way that could have dire results. More meat means a corresponding increase in demand for feed, especially corn and soy, which some experts say will contribute to higher prices.

This will be inconvenient for citizens of wealthier nations, but it could have tragic consequences for those of poorer ones, especially if higher prices for feed divert production away from food crops. The demand for ethanol is already pushing up prices, and explains, in part, the 40 percent rise last year in the food price index calculated by the United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organization.

Though some 800 million people on the planet now suffer from hunger or malnutrition, the majority of corn and soy grown in the world feeds cattle, pigs and chickens. This despite the inherent inefficiencies: about two to five times more grain is required to produce the same amount of calories through livestock as through direct grain consumption, according to Rosamond Naylor, an associate professor of economics at Stanford University. It is as much as 10 times more in the case of grain-fed beef in the United States.

The environmental impact of growing so much grain for animal feed is profound. Agriculture in the United States — much of which now serves the demand for meat — contributes to nearly three-quarters of all water-quality problems in the nation's rivers and streams, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Because the stomachs of cattle are meant to digest grass, not grain, cattle raised industrially thrive only in the sense that they gain weight quickly. This diet made it possible to remove cattle from their natural environment and encourage the efficiency of mass confinement and slaughter. But it causes enough health problems that administration of antibiotics is routine, so much so that it can result in antibiotic-resistant bacteria that threaten the usefulness of medicines that treat people.

Those grain-fed animals, in turn, are contributing to health problems among the world's wealthier citizens — heart disease, some types of cancer, diabetes. The argument that meat provides useful protein makes sense, if the quantities are small. But the "you gotta eat meat" claim collapses at American levels. Even if the amount of meat we eat weren't harmful, it's way more than enough.

Americans are downing close to 200 pounds of meat, poultry and fish per capita per year (dairy and eggs are separate, and hardly insignificant), an increase of 50 pounds per person from 50 years ago. We each consume something like 110 grams of protein a day, about twice the federal government's recommended allowance; of that, about 75 grams come from animal protein. (The recommended level is itself considered by many dietary experts to be higher than it needs to be.) It's likely that most of us would do just fine on around 30 grams of protein a day, virtually all of it from plant sources .

What can be done? There's no simple answer. Better waste management, for one. Eliminating subsidies would also help; the United Nations estimates that they account for 31 percent of global farm income. Improved farming practices would help, too. Mark W. Rosegrant, director of environment and production technology at the nonprofit International Food Policy Research Institute, says, "There should be investment in livestock breeding and management, to reduce the footprint needed to produce any given level of meat."

Skip to next paragraphThen there's technology. Israel and Korea are among the countries experimenting with using animal waste to generate electricity. Some of the biggest hog operations in the United States are working, with some success, to turn manure into fuel.

Longer term, it no longer seems lunacy to believe in the possibility of "meat without feet" — meat produced in vitro, by growing animal cells in a super-rich nutrient environment before being further manipulated into burgers and steaks.

Another suggestion is a return to grazing beef, a very real alternative as long as you accept the psychologically difficult and politically unpopular notion of eating less of it. That's because grazing could never produce as many cattle as feedlots do. Still, said Michael Pollan, author of the recent book "In Defense of Food," "In places where you can't grow grain, fattening cows on grass is always going to make more sense."

But pigs and chickens, which convert grain to meat far more efficiently than beef, are increasingly the meats of choice for producers, accounting for 70 percent of total meat production, with industrialized systems producing half that pork and three-quarters of the chicken.

Once, these animals were raised locally (even many New Yorkers remember the pigs of Secaucus), reducing transportation costs and allowing their manure to be spread on nearby fields. Now hog production facilities that resemble prisons more than farms are hundreds of miles from major population centers, and their manure "lagoons" pollute streams and groundwater. (In Iowa alone, hog factories and farms produce more than 50 million tons of excrement annually.)

These problems originated here, but are no longer limited to the United States. While the domestic demand for meat has leveled off, the industrial production of livestock is growing more than twice as fast as land-based methods, according to the United Nations.

Perhaps the best hope for change lies in consumers' becoming aware of the true costs of industrial meat production. "When you look at environmental problems in the U.S.," says Professor Eshel, "nearly all of them have their source in food production and in particular meat production. And factory farming is 'optimal' only as long as degrading waterways is free. If dumping this stuff becomes costly — even if it simply carries a non-zero price tag — the entire structure of food production will change dramatically."

Animal welfare may not yet be a major concern, but as the horrors of raising meat in confinement become known, more animal lovers may start to react. And would the world not be a better place were some of the grain we use to grow meat directed instead to feed our fellow human beings?

Real prices of beef, pork and poultry have held steady, perhaps even decreased, for 40 years or more (in part because of grain subsidies), though we're beginning to see them increase now. But many experts, including Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University, say they don't believe meat prices will rise high enough to affect demand in the United States.

"I just don't think we can count on market prices to reduce our meat consumption," he said. "There may be a temporary spike in food prices, but it will almost certainly be reversed and then some. But if all the burden is put on eaters, that's not a tragic state of affairs."

If price spikes don't change eating habits, perhaps the combination of deforestation, pollution, climate change, starvation, heart disease and animal cruelty will gradually encourage the simple daily act of eating more plants and fewer animals.

Mr. Rosegrant of the food policy research institute says he foresees "a stronger public relations campaign in the reduction of meat consumption — one like that around cigarettes — emphasizing personal health, compassion for animals, and doing good for the poor and the planet."

It wouldn't surprise Professor Eshel if all of this had a real impact. "The good of people's bodies and the good of the planet are more or less perfectly aligned," he said.

The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, in its detailed 2006 study of the impact of meat consumption on the planet, "Livestock's Long Shadow," made a similar point: "There are reasons for optimism that the conflicting demands for animal products and environmental services can be reconciled. Both demands are exerted by the same group of people ... the relatively affluent, middle- to high-income class, which is no longer confined to industrialized countries. ... This group of consumers is probably ready to use its growing voice to exert pressure for change and may be willing to absorb the inevitable price increases."

In fact, Americans are already buying more environmentally friendly products, choosing more sustainably produced meat, eggs and dairy. The number of farmers' markets has more than doubled in the last 10 years or so, and it has escaped no one's notice that the organic food market is growing fast. These all represent products that are more expensive but of higher quality.

If those trends continue, meat may become a treat rather than a routine. It won't be uncommon, but just as surely as the S.U.V. will yield to the hybrid, the half-pound-a-day meat era will end.

Maybe that's not such a big deal. "Who said people had to eat meat three times a day?" asked Mr. Pollan.

聯合國：融冰減少太陽能量反射暖化加劇

更新日期:2007/06/04 21:50 陳昶佑

（法新社挪威特琅索四日電）聯合國今天公布報告警告，地球冰雪融解正讓全球暖化的影響加速，可能對人類、經濟與野生物帶來廣泛衝擊。

「全球冰雪展望」報告作者普瑞斯楚在挪威極圈城鎮特琅索召開記者會說：「雪與冰可反射七至八成的太陽能量，水則會吸收。如果雪與冰繼續融解，這將造成全球暖化加劇。」

聯合國環境計畫署今天公布這份報告，以紀念明天的世界環境日。

報告中說，亞洲山區出現雪融與冰河消失，估計可能影響全球四成人口。亞洲許多河流發源於喜馬拉雅山，冰雪減少代表飲用水與農業用水減少。

此外，海平面上升將影響低漥沿岸地區與島嶼，重創孟加拉或印尼等國。

冰雪融解可能增加雪崩與洪水災害。

氣溫上升加上永凍土融解，造成在西伯利亞等地區的現有湖泊擴張，甚至出現新湖泊與河川。
普瑞斯楚說：「人類活動導致冰雪持續融解。如果溫室氣體持續排放，它們也將繼續融解。」

2008/1/25

食物背後的真相

食物背後的真相 The Truth behind Your Food

紐西蘭奧克蘭杜慧明（原文為英文）By sister-initiate Hui-Ming Toh, Auckland, New Zealand (Originally in English)

你會打開冰箱，拿出二十盤義大利麵，把它們倒進垃圾桶，而只吃一盤食物嗎？你會為了一頓午餐，而將五十五平方英尺的雨林夷平，或把二千五百加侖的水倒進下水道裡，你認為這樣做如何？當然，你不會這麼做。但只要食用半公斤的肉就會製造這種情況。吃肉會造成無效率的耗費、破壞我們的資源及環境、造成動物無邊的痛苦，並對我們的健康產生不良的影響。因此，如果燒烤一隻狗來搭配你的馬鈴薯泥會讓你感到不安的話，那你為什麼要燒烤其他溫和的動物呢？

Would you ever open your fridge, pull out twenty plates of pasta and chuck them into the bin, and then, eat only one plate of food? How about leveling fifty-five square feet of rainforest for one lunch or dumping two-thousand-five-hundred gallons of water down the drain? Of course you wouldn't. However, just eating half a kilo of meat will cause this. Eating meat will cause inefficient use and destruction to our resources and environment, cause immense animal suffering, and have detrimental effects on our health. So, if roasting a dog to complement your mashed potato disturbs you, then why roast any other gentle animal?

(廢料湖方圓農場是猶他州一家豬肉供應商，擁有一個三百萬加侖的廢料湖。一九九五年，北卡羅來納州這種廢料湖排放至河川和湖泊時就曾造成環境的災難。 )

Waste Lagoon:Circle Four Farms, a Utah-based pork producer, hosts a three-million gallon waste lagoon. When lagoons like this spill into rivers and lakes as happened in North Carolina in 1995, the result can be environmentally catastrophic.

有份聯合國的報告已經證實：「我們環境的頭號威脅是牛隻而非車子。」報告中的證據顯示，全球牛隻數量快速增加，對於氣候、森林及野生動物最具威脅性。農場動物所排出的糞便，是美國所有人口排出量的一百三十倍，而這些高濃度的排泄物最後會污染水源和空氣，並破壞土壤表層。此外，這些動物排出的腸氣和糞肥所產生的甲烷，超過全球總量的三分之一，這種氣體造成地球暖化的速度，比二氧化碳快上二十倍。動物排泄物每秒就有八萬六千磅產生，肉食者必須對此負完全責任；但只要您戒除動物性食品，就可以免責。

A UN report has identified that “cows not cars, are the top threat to our environment.” It gives evidence that the world's rapidly growing herds of cattle is the greatest threat to the climate, forests and wildlife. Farmed animals produce one-hundred-and-thirty times more excrement than the entire human population of the United States and this concentrated slop ends up polluting water, destroying top soil and contaminating our air. Furthermore, their bodily gas and manure emit more than one third of methane, which warms the world twenty times faster than carbon dioxide. Meat-eaters are responsible for the production of one hundred percent of these wastes which is about eighty-six-thousand pounds per second. But, by giving up animal products, you will be responsible for none of these.

此外，我們對肉食的喜好，正不斷地耗損許多無法再生的能源。每生產一磅牛肉就需要二千五百加侖的驚人水量；相較之下，生產一磅番茄卻只需二十九加侖的水，生產一磅的全麥麵包也只要一百三十九加侖的水。美國一半的用水和百分之八十的農地，以及幾乎所有收成的黃豆和全球一半以上的榖物，都耗費在飼養肉用動物上。當我們在吃肉的同時，正有十億人口遭受饑餓及營養不良之苦，每天有二萬四千名孩童餓死在種植穀物的田野旁，而這些穀物卻拿去餵食西方國家的家畜。然而，我們若能善用有限的資源，將土地改為種植供人類食用的農作物，就可以消除世界的饑荒問題。

Moreover, our taste for meat is taking a toll on our supply of non-renewable resources. A staggering two-thousand-five-hundred gallons of water is needed for the production of each pound of beef, but, in contrast, it takes only twenty-nine gallons to produce a pound of tomatoes and a hundred-and-thirty-nine gallons for a pound of whole wheat bread. Half the water, eighty percent of agricultural land in the United States, almost all the soy bean harvest and over half of the world's grain is used to raise animals for food. While we are doing this, one billion people are suffering from hunger and malnutrition and twenty-four-thousand children die every day alongside fields of grain destined for the West's livestock. However, world starvation would be eliminated if our scarce resources were utilized efficiently by converting land to raising crops for feeding people.

(索馬利亞饑荒：索馬利亞的饑荒根源於食物的短缺。製造一磅牛肉需要四點八磅穀類，近代農業評論報導指出：肉食的推廣加重了世界的饑荒。 )

Somali Famine Victims:Somalian famine victims line up for food handouts. Producing a pound of beef requires 4.8 pounds of grain, and critics of our modern agricultural system say that the spread of meat-based diets aggravates world hunger.

你可知道在紐西蘭每年有一億三千萬隻動物遭到宰殺嗎？大部分的動物被飼養在工廠化養殖場中，這套系統力求以最少的成本達到最大的產量。因此，這些動物活著時，他們的身心分分秒秒都承受著極大的痛苦。他們擠在骯髒又不見天日的狹小空間裡，無法養育他們的家人，不能扒土為樂或做任何符合他們天性的事情。他們甚至體會不到陽光照在背部的舒服感，也呼吸不到新鮮的空氣，一直到被載上卡車待宰的那一天為止。在紐西蘭，就有超過九千萬隻動物遭受這種不人道的對待，還有許多動物是在清醒的狀況下被割喉而流血致死。

Are you aware that one-hundred-and-thirty million animals are murdered annually in New Zealand? Most animals are raised on factory farms, the system which strives to maximize output at minimum costs. As a result, the animals suffer immense pain mentally and physically every second of their lives. They are crammed into filthy windowless confinement systems and will never raise their families, rummage in the soil or do anything that is natural to them. They won't even feel the sun on their backs or breathe fresh air until the day they are loaded onto trucks, destined for slaughter. Over ninety million animals in New Zealand suffer these conditions and many remain conscious as their throats are cut, then, left to bleed to death.

農場經營者常用的另一種殘忍做法是：剝奪禽類的食物長達十四天之久，使他們的身體產生恐慌反應而生產更多的蛋，以供人類食用。由於小公雞對肉品業毫無用處，因此每年有一億隻小公雞被活活碾碎，或被棄置於袋子裡悶死。尤有甚者，在屠宰場中，雞隻被割了脖子後，有許多還活生生地就被浸在滾燙的熱水中，以便拔除身上的羽毛。

Another cruel practice farmers often carry out is the deprivation of food from birds for fourteen days in order to shock their bodies into laying more eggs for human consumption. And, because male chicks are useless in the meat industry, each year a hundred million of them are ground up alive or tossed into bags to suffocate. What's more, at the slaughter house, the chickens throats are cut, and they are immersed in scalding hot water to remove their feathers while many are still alive.

即使現在，牧場經營者為了幫牛隻做記號以易於辨認，就直接用熱火鉗烙在牛皮上，造成第三度灼傷，令他們痛苦哀嚎。還有，在完全沒有麻醉的情況下，小公牛的睪丸從陰囊中被剝除。更加深他們痛苦的是：放牧牛隻的土地上瀰漫著化學藥劑，這些煙霧造成他們慢性呼吸系統的問題，致使呼吸變得困難。

Even nowadays, to mark cows for identification, ranchers push hot fire irons into their flesh as they bellow in pain. Consequently, third degree burns occur and male calves' testicles are ripped from their scrotums all without pain relief. To add to their suffering, the land which cattle graze on has air saturated with chemicals and these fumes cause chronic respiratory problems, therefore making breathing painful.

專門供應牛乳的母牛不斷地受孕，然後她們的小孩又被帶走，原本要給小牛喝的牛奶卻供人類飲用。她們每天有好幾次被接上擠奶器，經由基因控制法、強效賀爾蒙及密集擠奶，被迫生產比自然產量還多十倍的牛奶，結果引發令她們極度痛苦的乳腺炎，有高達百分之五十的乳牛深受其苦。

Cows used for their milk are repeatedly impregnated and their babies taken away so that humans can drink the milk intended for the calves. They are hooked up to machines several times daily and using genetic manipulation, powerful hormones, and intensive milking, they are forced to produce ten times more milk as they naturally would. This contributes to the immensely painful inflammation of their udder which up to fifty percent of dairy cows suffer from.

現今，對於工廠化養殖場的動物，沒有法令保護他們免於殘酷的虐待，而這些行為若加諸在家庭寵物身上，則屬違法，例如：疏於照顧、致殘、基因操控、導致長期痛苦和殘害的施藥、及殘暴的屠宰。小說家兼詩人羅伯特‧路易士‧史蒂文生（Robert Louis Stevenson）說：「我們吃下與我們具有相似慾望、熱情與器官的動物屍體。」我們疼愛狗兒、貓咪，視他們為夥伴，然而，農場動物的智能與感受痛苦的能力並不亞於這些寵物。

Animals on today's factory farms have no legal protection from cruelty that would be illegal if it were inflicted on household pets: neglect, mutilation, genetic manipulation, and drug programs that cause chronic pain and crippling and, violent slaughter. Robert Louis Stevenson, a novelist and poet said, “We consume the carcasses of creatures of like appetites, passions and organs with our own.” Yet, farmed animals are no less intelligent or capable of feeling pain than are the dogs and cats we cherish as companions.

這一點可以經由一些常見的報導來證實，例如：牛隻跳過六英尺高的圍籬，逃離了屠宰場，然後走了七哩路，只為了與小牛團聚，接著他們一起游泳渡河奔向自由。豬也是一樣；英國政府的科學顧問唐納德‧布魯姆博士（Dr. Donald Broom）發現豬是具有洞察力的動物：「豬具有很高的認知能力，因此會顯得相當世故，他們的認知能力甚至比狗還高，當然也高於三歲小孩。」

This is demonstrated by the frequent reports of cows leaping over a six-foot fence to escape a slaughterhouse, walking seven miles to be reunited with a calf and swimming across a river to freedom. Pigs, too, are insightful animals as discovered by Dr. Donald Broom, scientific advisor to the British government - “[Pigs] have the cognitive ability to be quite sophisticated. Even more so than dogs and certainly three-year-olds.”

為了要拯救地球，減少人類及動物的苦難，你所能採取的最重要行動就是吃素。富含複合碳水化合物、蛋白質、纖維素、omega-3多元不飽和脂肪酸、維他命及礦物質的素食餐飲，可以提供我們最理想的營養，並奠下良好的飲食習慣基礎，讓我們享有健康的人生。柯林‧坎貝爾教授（Professor T. Colin Campbell）所著的《中國研究》（The China Study）一書，也提出許多有力的證據：「在未來十年中，你一定會得知一項訊息：動物性蛋白質是所有食物中最具毒性的營養素…只要飲食中含有少量的動物性蛋白質，就會大大地提高罹患疾病的風險。」根據研究顯示，吃素的小孩比同儕具有更高的智商，而素食者的平均壽命也比肉食者長六至十年。此外，他們罹患心臟病和癌症的機率減少了百分之五十。肉食者過胖的情況，則比素食者高出九倍。素食提供我們所需的全部營養，且不含飽和脂肪、膽固醇和污染物。

The most important step you can take to save our planet and diminish both human and animal suffering is to go vegetarian. A meat free diet rich in complex carbohydrates, protein, fiber, omega-three, vitamins and minerals provides optimal nutrition, forming the foundation for dietary habits that support a lifetime of good health. Compelling evidence can be found in the book “The China Study” by Professor T. Colin Campbell which says, “in the next ten years, one of the things you're bound to hear is that animal protein is one of the most toxic nutrients of all…risk for disease goes up dramatically when even a little animal protein is added to the diet.” Studies have shown that vegetarian kids have higher IQs than their classmates and vegetarians live, on average, six to ten years longer than meat-eaters. In addition to this, they are fifty percent less likely to develop heart disease and cancer, plus, meat eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegans are. Vegetarian foods provide us with all the nutrients we need, minus the saturated fat, cholesterol, and contaminants.

許多人反而辯稱植物也具有生命。確實如此，但植物只有百分之十的意識，而動物的意識卻與人類相似。由於植物無法移動，它們不太需要具備感知痛苦的能力，因此，植物與哺乳動物在生理上全然不同。如果你修剪樹上的枝葉，它會長得更多、更茂盛。而動物卻不希望被定期修剪；你能砍掉牛的一條腿，然後期待他再長出四條腿嗎？

Conversely, many argue that plants are alive too. This is true, but plants have only ten percent consciousness while animals have consciousness equivalent to humans. Since plants cannot locomote, the sensation of experiencing pain would be superfluous. Thus, plants differ completely physiologically from mammals. If you cut a branch or leaves off a tree, it will flourish and grow more. On the other hand, animals do not desire regular pruning. Can you cut off a leg from a cow and expect it to grow four more legs?

飼養動物來食用，已造成了地球的浩劫，環境、資源及我們的健康正日益惡化。儘管我們大部分的人不會輕易饒恕殺生之事，但卻在社會的助長下養成了吃肉的習慣，而沒有真正去了解我們所吃下的動物遭到什麼樣的對待。有人說：「走一趟屠宰場就能使你終生茹素，因為正是我們造成了他們痛苦與恐懼的哀號。」因此，如果你打算再燒烤一隻溫和的動物…請記得，你所吃下的動物和你所深愛的寵物並沒有兩樣；唯一不同的是，這隻動物慘遭痛苦折磨。

Raising animals for food is wreaking havoc on Earth. The environment, resources and our health are deteriorating and although most of us do not actively condone killing, humans have developed the habit, supported by society, of eating meat without any real awareness of what is being done to the animals we eat. It is said that, “one visit to a slaughterhouse will make you a vegetarian for life. Because it is us who created their screams of pain and fear.” So, if you ever decide to roast a gentle animal again…remember you are consuming the flesh of one equivalent to your much loved pets. But, the only difference is that this animal was tortured.

以下的網址有很多令人震驚的圖片:http://www.goveg.com/photos.asp http://www.viva.org.uk/photogallery/galleryindex.htm
家畜對環境的影響，請搜尋全球地圖連結網:http://www.virtualcentre.org/en/library/key_pub/longshad/a0701e/A0701E09a.pdf

There are many shocking pictures on the following websites:http://www.goveg.com/photos.asp http://www.viva.org.uk/photogallery/galleryindex.htm
Please find global maps on livestock's environmental impact through following link :http://www.virtualcentre.org/en/library/key_pub/longshad/a0701e/A0701E09a.pdf

雨林 - 綠色地球的肺

Rainforests - the green lungs of the Earth

焚燒雨林破壞自然生態系統

Burning the rainforests destroys a natural ecosystem

枯萎和荒蕪之地是幾個漢堡付出的代價！

This scorched and barren landscape is the cost of just a few hamburgers!

*作者是一位十七歲的中學應屆畢業生，她的這篇校內評估之用的文章獲得特優的成績

* The author is a 17-year-old student in her final year of secondary school. The article was an internal assessment for which she was awarded the top grade of excellence.

來源:

http://al.godsdirectcontact.org/your_food/Chinese-t.htm

http://al.godsdirectcontact.org/your_food/English.htm

2008/1/23

《六度的變化：一個愈來愈熱星球的未來》

http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/ultrasonicfly/article?mid=1520&prev=1521&next=1514

當全球溫度
升高攝氏一度的時候，非洲大陸冰雪蕩然無存，北極熊、海象和環斑海豹，從地球的北端銷聲匿跡。

升高攝氏二度，從鯖魚到鬚鯨淘汰出局，格陵蘭冰原徹底消融，全球海平面升高七米。

升高攝氏三度，亞馬遜河流域熱帶雨林大部分會在大火中被燒毀，數千萬或者幾十億難民會從乾旱的亞熱帶地區遷移到中緯度地區。

升高攝氏四度，整個北冰洋冰帽也會消失，全球海平面會又提高五米，倫敦周邊夏季氣溫將達攝氏四十五度。
升高攝氏五度，兩極均沒有冰雪存在，南極洲中部可能有森林生長，海洋中大規模的物種滅絕，大規模海嘯摧毀海岸。

升高攝氏六度，高達百分之九十五的物種滅絕。地球上的生物將會在超級暴風雨、洪水、硫化氫氣體、以及甲烷火球帶著原子彈般的力量流竄地表時，完全滅絕；唯一能存活的只有黴菌。

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

去年才有科學家提出警告，依照現今的全球暖化速度估算，北極將在2040年出現夏季完全無冰的情況。現在新研究發現，北極融冰速度比先前預測的快得多，上述情況可能提早到2012年出現！

新聞來源東森新聞（ 2007/12/12 ）：http://www.ettoday.com/2007/12/12/91-2200910.htm
圖片來源美國太空總署(NASA)：http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003400/a003464/index.html

2008/1/22

清海無上師與全球科學家鄭重呼籲.....全球緊急行動,拯救我們的星球 !

鑑於最近諸多科學報告，紛紛呼籲大眾關注氣候變遷和我們星球的未來，「無上師電視台」對此非常重視，元月 21日特別敬邀清海無上師討論這些議題與解決之道；清海無上師雖日理萬機，仍撥冗應邀通過電話會議回答問題。

近日清海無上師告訴我們世界會會員，我們的星球岌岌可危。她提到地球需要維持平衡，而許多頂尖科學家也所見略同。根據美國南加州大學的研究，在二億五千萬年前，也發生過一次類似的情況，影響了無數的動、植物，造成九成地球物種滅絕。當問及目前全球氣候變遷是否可比擬地球歷史上像這樣的事件時，無上師回答："是的。"因為溫度升高會導致大量海底有毒氣體釋放到空氣中，導致物種滅絕。華盛頓大學與賓州州立大學的研究都得出同樣的結論。

電視台問無上師：" 您是否有什麼訊息想要傳達給世界的領袖們？"

師父說：" 我會告訴他們，運用他們莫大的力量來改變大眾的飲食習慣，並立刻採用可再生能源。自己也以身作則吃素或吃全素。他們必須帶頭吃素

然後真正運用他們的力量，就像他們實施禁菸，他們也可以禁止吃肉，列舉吃肉對人類與地球所造成的所有傷害。

芝加哥州立大學的研究人員在他們的新書「飲食、能源與全球暖化」中表示，改採素食所減少的碳排量，比從駕駛雪佛蘭越野車轉為開豐田普瑞斯油電混合車，還多百分之五十。

問："我們對地球所做的努力能逆轉氣候變遷造成的破壞嗎？"

"是，可以做到某個程度，如果世界的政府與人民行動快一點，也許情況還能逆轉。但我想無法百分之百完全回到世界最初的狀態。如果我們快一點，世界就不會變得更糟。這樣地球就能被更好的保護，這樣也許一些破壞能被修復。"

"我真的希望我們可以繼續生存在地球，小孩可以在更好的環境下長大，但這全都要看人類如何決定，看他們如何改變而定。"

"師父，另一個問題是，如果您想告訴世界大眾一個訊息，那是什麼呢？

"那就是我好愛他們！"

感謝清海無上師對人類及地球的未來深切的愛與信心。她的真知灼見為我們帶來靈感與希望。但願在我們的共同努力下，能為我們與下一代創造一個持久又健康的環境。

清海無上師結束語："不只是運用科技而已，因為業力比科技的影響還大，所以我們一定要靠吃素，讓所有人能享有和平。首先要吃素，然後再加上科技輔助。素食帶來長遠的利益，減少業障、壞的影響，才能獲得天堂的恩典！"

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Teleconference on climate change with Supreme Master Ching Hai.

In light of recent scientific reports that are heightening concerns on climate change and our planet’s future, Supreme Master Television has great concern, thus we respectfully invited Supreme Master Ching Hai to a discussion on current issues and solutions. Despite her busy schedule, Supreme Master Ching Hai graciously granted a teleconference to address our questions.

Recently, Supreme Master Ching Hai shared with our Association members the dire situation of our planet. She spoke of the need for the Earth to maintain its equilibrium, a view shared by many leading scientists.

According to a study by the University of Southern California in the US, a similar phenomenon occurred once before already, affecting countless plant and animal species 250 million years ago.

They say that 250 million years back, 90% of Earth’s species
were already destroyed.

Yes.

So, is this climate change comparable to anything else in the history of the Earth?

Do you mean because of the gas?

Yes.

Well, it will be similar. Gas is gas.

Thanks Master.

You’re welcome.

Halo Master.

Halo.

I wanted to ask if you have a message for the leaders of the world.

I would say to them to use their mighty power to change the diet of the planet. And adopt immediately, renewable energy. And set an example by themselves by becoming a vegetarian or vegan.

They first have to be vegetarian and then they use their power truly. Like the way they forbid smoking.

They could do that in forbidding meat as well. By citing all the harm that meat would do to humans and the planet.

As the conference drew to a close, the call to global action was made very clear.
What was equally certain was that saving the planet depends on how soon those actions are taken.

Are the effects of what we have done to the planet reversible in regards to climate change?

Oh well, to some extent, if the government and the people in the world act fast, maybe we can reverse somehow. But I think not so quickly 100%, like the primordial of the world before.

Yes.

If we act fast, then the world will not get worse. And then the Earth will be more protected, then maybe some damage will be recovered.

I wish really that we have the planet, we continue to live, and the children grow up in a better environment.

But it’s up to humanity to decide what they want and which direction they turn.

Master, another question is, if you had a message for the world, what would it be?

That I love them very much.

We sincerely thank

Supreme Master Ching Hai for your deep love and faith in humanity for the future of our planet. We are grateful for your taking the time to share your insights, which truly give us inspiration and hope.We pray that together, our efforts for the planet may help to create a lasting, healthy environment for our current and future generations.

In their new book “Diet, Energy and Global Warming,” researchers at the University of Chicago state that

A VEGETARIAN DIET SAVES 50 PERCENT MORE CARBON EMISSIONS THAN SWITCHING FROM A CHEVROLET SUBURBAN SUV TO A TOYOTA PRIUS HYBRID.

It’s not just the technologies. Because the karma is more important than just the technology.

So we have to meditate on vegetarianism, you know, for all the people to have peace and to be vegetarian and the technology add into it as well.

VEGETARIANISM IS FOR THE LONG TERM BENEFIT, TO LESSEN THE KARMA, BAD RETRIBUTION, TO TOUCH THE MERCY OF HEAVEN.

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