Most of the efforts aimed at reducing climate change concentrate on reducing the use of fossil fuels. But a new study warms that pollution from the worlds food production system is also a major cause of rising temperatures on the earth.
The study finds that if the world food system grows at the current speed, it will produce nearly 1.4 trillion metric tons(公吨)of greenhouse gases over the next 80 years. That pollution is expected to come from fertilizers used in agriculture, mismanaged soil, food waste and methane gas released from cows and other animals. Other causes include land-clearing operations and deforestation(乱砍乱伐).
Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the University of Oxford in Britain led the study. They predict that even if fossil fuel emissions (排放) were stopped now, emissions from the world food system would make it impossible to reach the international climate change targets. They say emissions from food production alone could push world temperatures over 1.5degrees Celsius by the middle of this century and above 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
The new study calls for immediate improvements in farming practice, as well as what we eat and how much food we waste.
Jason Hill is a professor of biosystems engineering at the University of Minnesota and he helped lead the study. He says that the research clearly shows that food has a much greater effect climate change than widely known. Fixing the problem would not require the world’s population to completely stop eating meat. We can eat better, healthier foods. We can improve how we grow foods. And we can waste less food, he adds.
Besides, the researchers say such efforts are achievable and can also lead to many other improvements beyond controlling climate change. These include making humans healthier, reducing water pollution, improving air quality, preventing animal extinctions and improving farm profitability(盈利能力).
【小题1】What did the new study find about the world’s food production system?| A．It produces many poisonous gases. |
| B．It causes a rise in global temperature. |
| C．It helps to reduce the use of fossil fuels. |
| D．It tries to solve the world hunger problem. |
| A．Fossil fuel emissions will gradually stop. |
| B．The temperature will have an unexpected rise. |
| C．The climate change target will be eventually achieved. |
| D．Emission from food production will cause serious effects. |
| A．Reducing food waste. | B．Growing more crop. |
| C．Stopping eating any meat. | D．Producing less junk food. |
| A．Reducing water pollution. | B．Improving farming methods. |
| C．Protecting endangered animals. | D．Increasing farming productivity. |
