低碳生活 说起来容易做起来难

Those of us resolving to lead a lower-carbon life in 2010 could do worse than acquire a copy of Prashant Vaze's new book, The Economical Environmentalist, in which the author picks over the fine details of his life. He works out how much CO2 he could save by driving more slowly, installing loft insulation or becoming a vegetarian. The result will be a little dense for some, but it is delightfully geeky and has the virtue of being right more often than not.
对于我们中间那些决意在2010年过一种低碳生活的人而言，买一本普拉尚特的新书《节约的环保主义者》并不是最糟糕的选择。作者在书中仔细检查了自己生活的点滴细节，计算出了如果自己开车速度更慢、在阁楼安装绝缘材料、或是改吃素食，分别能减少多少二氧化碳排放。其结果对于一些人来说会有点晦涩难懂，但其专业性古怪得讨人喜欢，而且优点是往往是正确的。
　　
This virtue is underrated. Environmentalists have been slow to realise that the fashionable eco-lifestyle is riddled with contradictions. The one that particularly exasperates me is the “food miles” obsession, whereby we eschew tomatoes from Spain and roses flown in from Kenya, in favour of local products grown in a heated greenhouse with a far greater carbon footprint.
这个优点被低估了。环保主义者一直迟钝，没有意识到时髦的环保生活方式充满着矛盾。尤其让我恼怒的一点，是对于“食物英里数”的执迷：我们杜绝来自西班牙的西红柿和来自肯尼亚的玫瑰，而偏爱本地温室里生长、碳足迹高得多的作物。
　　
Other less-than-obvious truths are: that pork and chicken have substantially lower carbon footprints than beef and lamb (yes, even organic beef and lamb); that milk and cheese also have a substantial footprint; that dishwashers are typically more efficient than washing dishes by hand; and that eco-friendly washing powders may be distinctly eco-unfriendly because they tend to tempt people to use hotter washes.
另一些不那么显而易见的事实包括：猪肉和鸡肉的碳足迹明显低于牛肉和羊肉（没错，哪怕是有机牛肉和羊肉）；牛奶和奶酪同样拥有相当高的碳足迹；用洗碗机通常比用手洗碗更高效；而环保型洗衣粉可能明显对环境不利，因为它们往往会诱使人们使用热水。
　　
My conclusion is that a well-meaning environmentalist will make counterproductive decisions several times a day. I don't blame the environmentalists: the problem is intrinsically complicated. Over a vegetarian curry in London recently, Vaze ruefully described to me the “six bloody months” he spent trying to research an eco-renovation of his home.
我的结论是：好心的环保主义者每天会做出很多事与愿违的决定。这不能怪他们：这个问题本身就十分复杂。最近在伦敦，瓦茨愁苦地向我讲述，他是如何花了“该死的6个月”试图研究出对自己家进行环保改造的方式，他面前放着一盘咖喱什蔬。