How Many Miles Are on Your Plate?|你的食物里程有多少？

How Many Miles Are on Your Plate? 你的食物里程有多少？

by Jeremy Beacock

The food on your dinner table may be causing global warming.

餐桌上的食物可能会引起全球暖化的问题。

These days, supermarkets stock a wide range of produce from all over the world. _(1)_ What's more, all of these foods are available year round at reasonable prices. It should be perfect for consumers, but many environmentalists believe this convenience comes with a very high hidden cost.

The term "food miles" was introduced in the early 1990s by environmentalists trying to understand the ecological impact of food production. When adding up the environmental damage on the food chain, they realized that transportation costs needed to be factored into the calculation. _(2)_ These extra miles are accumulated in trucks or airplanes, which create greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Therefore, the miles contribute to global warming. _(3)_

While some governments are working to control these miles with legislation, other groups are choosing a better solution―urban farming. _(4)_ These farms are supported by governments, charities, and community groups, with goals ranging from education to for-profit production. Local people work on farms, growing food for themselves and their families or even for selling to other residents nearby. Supporters say urban farming offers a perfect way to use wasted land, allows people to become self-sufficient, improves the environment, and helps reduce food miles. _(5)_ Nevertheless, given the choice between imported food and fresh local food, most consumers would choose the latter.

(A) Urban farming schemes have grown and thrived from Beijing to Boston.

(B) For example, studies estimate that food in the US travels anywhere from 1,500 to 2,500 miles from farms to consumers' plates.

(C) Of course, with the huge populations in many modern cities, urban farming can only be a small part of the solution to decreasing food miles.

(D) You can buy beef from Australia, vegetables from Japan, and fruits from the US all in the same store.

(E) What's even worse, these miles are built into the way our modern industrial food system works.

   现今的超级市场架上有各式各样来自世界各地的产品。你可以在同一家店里买到来自澳洲的牛肉、日本的蔬菜还有美国的水果。此外，这些食物全年都可用合理的价格买到。对消费者而言，这应该是很理想的事情，但许多环保人士却相信这样的便利性背后隐藏着很高的代价。

　　『食物里程』一词是在 1990 年代初期由环保人士所提出，他们想试图了解制造食物所带来的生态影响。当他们在加总食物链的环境损害时，发现到运输成本需要被列入计算的因素当中。举例而言，研究估计美国的食物要从农场抵达消费者的盘中，需经过 1,500 到 2,500 英里不等的距离。这些额外的里程累积来自会制造二氧化碳等温室气体的卡车或飞机。因此，这些里程会导致全球暖化。更糟的是，这些里程还是现代食品工业系统运作的其中一环。

　　某些政府正努力以立法控制这些里程数，但有些团体则选择了一项更好的解决方式――都市农耕。都市农耕的计划从北京到波士顿逐渐发展兴盛。这些农地由政府、慈善机构和小区团体所支助，目的相当广泛，从教育到营利生产皆有。当地民众下田耕种食物供个人和家人食用，或甚至卖给邻近的居民。支持者表示都市农耕提供了绝佳的方法来使用废弃土地、让人们变得自给自足、改善环境，以及帮助减少食物里程。想当然尔，许多现代都市的人口众多，都市农耕只是减少食物里程解决方式中的其中一小环。尽管如此，在进口食物和新鲜当地食物两种选择之中，多数消费者还是会选择后者。

答案：  1. (D)2. (B)3. (E)4. (A)5. (C)

For Your Information

古巴在 1990 年代的能源危机与美国对其禁运的特别时期，为求生存而不得不将其农业转型为小型而多元的有机农业。同时，为了喂养人口密集的城市居民，都市中的荒地、堆满垃圾的地方都被整理后用来耕种，『都市农耕』因应而生。都市农耕如今已是一种风潮，还兼具屋顶生态化的功效，浅色的屋顶不仅可降温、节能，更能提供生物的微栖地。