英国有一项研究指出,在全英人口中,50—64岁的人所产生的“碳足迹”是最多的。这结果不禁让人吃惊,因为在大家看来,这些长者,衣食住行怎么也应该比年青人“低碳”啊。那到底是什么原因让这个年龄阶段的人成了“低碳罪人”呢?
英式发音 适合泛听
Jackie Riley is 57 and is at the stage in her life where she can enjoy the money she makes. Both she and her husband work. They have a car each, and last year she took four foreign holidays. She feels as though she does her bit to be green.
Jackie: We recycle newspapers, bottles, jars, plastic, cardboard, ...
But all those holiday flights increase Jackie’s carbon footprint. That’s the amount of environmentally damaging gases her lifestyle creates. But cutting back on travel is one thing Jackie and many other 1)baby-boomers are reluctant to do.
Jackie: I think everybody deserves a holiday and we need some sunshine and I think that winter holidays especially, you’ve got to travel to get the sunshine.
Across the other side of York, 55-year-old Roy Stringer has already felt the effects of climate change when his riverside home flooded. His issue is with 2)congestion.
Roy: York in itself is 3)choking with traffic, I feel. The public transport leaves a lot to be desired.
So what researchers here in York are asking is, “How can they make the greys greener?” Well, top of the list is better home 4)insulation, because older people use more heating. Then there’s making public transport more attractive which will, in turn, lead to people using their cars less.
Interviewee: Driving’s cheaper. To fly say from Manchester to London and to take the train; that’s ridiculous. So these are the kind of barriers that are preventing this age group and all of us from totally engaging in a low-carbon lifestyle.
So, while “fifty pluses” want to help the environment, experts say big 5)compromises need to be made to make a real difference.
杰琪·拉里今年57岁,正值衣食无忧的人生阶段。她和丈夫都有工作,两人各有一辆车。去年,她四次出国旅游度假。她觉得自己似乎已经为环保尽绵力了。
杰琪:我们回收报纸、瓶子、罐子、塑料制品,还有厚纸板……
但她那些假日旅游飞行却使她的碳足迹陡增。那就是她的生活方式对环境造成损害的(主要)气体总量。可减少旅行又是杰琪和其他很多“婴儿潮”时期出生的人所不乐意的。
杰琪:我觉得每个人都值得拥有假期。我们需要阳光,尤其在冬季假期,你要旅行到别处才能晒晒太阳。
在约克郡的另一头,在洪水淹没了自家筑于河边的房子后,55岁的罗伊·斯特林格已经体会到了气候变化带来的恶果。他将其归咎于交通堵塞。
罗伊:约克本来就存在交通堵塞的问题,我觉得,公共交通工具显得十分必要。
因此,研究人员在约克郡开展了“如何能让老年人的生活方式更环保”的调研。而最多数的回答是采用更优质的隔热建材,因为老年人更多地使用暖气。其次是要让公共交通工具更吸引大家使用,这样才能促使人们减少自驾车。
受访者:自己开车更划算。譬如说,从曼切斯特飞到伦敦,然后再换火车,这种做法是很荒唐的。就是这些问题使得这个年龄层的人以及我们所有人放弃遵从低碳的生活方式。
因此,专家说,虽然这些“50后”有意于环保,但他们却需要作出很大的妥协才能真正地有所贡献。
要更好地了解“低碳”这股潮流，要更哩解我们的主题文章，大家可能，导先来个热门词汇小“预习”哦。
low-carbon lIfestyle低碳生活方式
cutting carbon dioxide(C02) emissions and living a life characterized by low-energy, low-consumption and low spending
carbon footprint碳足迹
the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually
expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide
low-carbon economy低碳经济
a concept that refers to an economy which has a minimal output of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the biosphere, but specifically refers to the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide
其他词汇还有carbon emission（碳排故）、carbon intensity（碳浓度）、low-carbon technology（低碳技术）、low-carbon development/growth（低碳发展）、carbon intensive goods（碳密集产品）等等。