VOA慢速英语2015 养活人口还是拯救地球?

Feed the People or Save the Planet? 养活人口还是拯救地球?

Americans are not eating as much meat as they used to. Price is certainly a major reason. But people also say there are other reasons, such as health and ethics¹.

For the first time, a group of advisers² to the United States Department of Agriculture is suggesting that Americans consider the environment when making healthy food choices. This suggestion has caused some debate.

Every five years, the United States Department of Agriculture issues Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines are based on updated nutritional³ science.

Janet Riley is a top official with the trade group, North American Meat Institute.

She says the department’s suggestions, or recommendations, affect some of the most vulnerable people in America: those who depend on school lunches and federal programs for older people, women and children.

"And these are some of our most vulnerable populations who need the protein and the vitamins and minerals that are in meat and poultry⁴."  

The advisory⁵ report is open for public review. Some parts of it have caused debate. The part causing the most debate is the report’s link between healthy food choices and environmental sustainability.

Janet Riley says the discussion of environmental sustainability is not part of what the House of Representatives told the committee to consider.

"They were told specifically to focus on nutrition. When they formed a subcommittee on sustainability, the House (of Representatives) appropriators included language in the budget bill that said, ‘Stick to nutrition. Do not stray into the environment'."

However, some people say that including environmental issues is good for the public and the planet. One of these people is Janet Larsen, a research director for the Earth Policy Institute, an environmental group.

Ms. Larsen says that meat production releases a lot of carbon gas into the environment.

"Meat production is very carbon intensive. It releases greenhouse gases that are warming the planet. And so, if you’re concerned about climate change, you realize that you need to start eating lower on the food chain to reduce your overall carbon footprint."

Farm animals that are raised for food require a lot of land, food and water. Ms. Larsen says. This is part of their carbon footprint.

While the United States is eating less meat, other parts of the world are eating more. China is now the world's top meat consumer. Ms. Larsen says China’s desire for meat is growing.

"If China tries to not just increase their meat imports, but increase their domestic production at a large scale, that is likely to mean that they will be importing more grain and more soy, especially from world markets. That will have an effect on food prices everywhere. We know that when food prices are volatile⁶ or if they spike⁷, we see more and more people end up hungry."

Janet Riley, again, who represents the Meat Institute, says people who are experts in nutrition are not experts in the environment. She says the panel does not have enough scientific information or knowledge to link the environment to food guidelines.

"…to suggest that somehow eating less meat is going to have this huge impact on the environment. We need more data. We need a panel of experts in that field to take a look at it and come up with real definitive⁸ recommendations if we want to go there. We can't have nutritionists trying to delve⁹ into a field where they really don't have the expertise¹⁰ to make these kinds of recommendations."

The aim of the guidelines is to control disease and obesity¹¹, the condition of being overweight. The guidelines do this by suggesting a diet higher in vegetables and lower in animal-based foods. Ms. Larsen says she hopes the final version of the guidelines provides more reasons to eat healthier overall.

"I think that it is really important not to export the meat heavy American diet, but export messages of health and wellness and environmental sustainability, and show people that we realize that we have likely overshot and now we need to move down the food chain and eat less meat."

The United States Department of Agriculture will issue its final dietary guidelines later this year.

Words in This Story

recommendation – n. a suggestion about what should be done

vulnerable – adj. easily hurt or harmed physically¹², mentally, or emotionally

sustainability – n. involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources

stray – v. to go in a direction that is away from a group or from the place where you should be

food chain – n. a series of types of living things in which each one uses the next lower member of the series as a source of food

carbon footprint – n. the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, etc.

consumer – n. a person who buys goods and services for personal use

1 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

2 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

3 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

4 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

5 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

6 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

7 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

8 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

9 delve   

v.深入探究，钻研

参考例句：

• We should not delve too deeply into this painful matter.我们不应该过分深究这件痛苦的事。
• We need to delve more deeply into these questions.这些是我们想进一步了解的。

10 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

11 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

12 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。