Climate change: Top 10 tips to reduce carbon footprint revealed
(Source: Pixabay)
一份報告指出，氣候變化仍然可以被解決-但前提是人們願意接受生活方式的重大轉變。
Climate change can still be tackled – but only if people are willing to embrace major shifts in the way we live, a report says.
此份報告的作者匯總了人們減少碳足跡的最佳方法。
The authors have put together a list of the best ways for people to reduce their carbon footprints.
他們解釋說，為因應Covid-19危機，公眾願意接受必要的重大改變。
The response to the Covid-19 crisis has shown that the public is willing to accept radical change if they consider it necessary, they explain.
報告還補充說，政府的優先事項必須重新排序。
And the report adds that government priorities must be re-ordered.
研究人員認為，保護地球必須成為所有決策者的首要任務。
Protecting the planet must become the first duty of all decision-makers, the researchers argue.
作者敦促公眾採用此報告中所提出的減碳措施，該報告是基於對7,000項其他研究的總分析。
The authors urge the public to contribute by adopting the carbon-cutting measures in the report, which is based on an analysis of 7,000 other studies.
減少碳足跡的最好選擇（人均減少量/噸二氧化碳當量）：
Top options for reducing your carbon footprint (average reduction per person in tonnes CO2 equivalent):
- Live car-free (2.04) 無車生活 2.04噸
- Battery electric car (1.95) 電車 1.95噸
- One less long-haul flight per year (1.68) 每年減少一次長途飛行 1.68噸
- Renewable energy (1.6) 再生能源 1.6噸
- Public transport (0.98) 大眾運輸 0.98噸
- Refurbishment / Renovation (0.895) 房子刷新 0.895噸
- Vegan diet (0.8) 純素飲食 0.8噸
- Heat pump (0.795) 熱泵 0.795噸
- Improved cooking equipment (0.65) 改善炊具 0.65噸
- Renewable-based heating (0.64) 可再生能源的暖氣 0.64噸
排名最高的是無車生活，每人每年平均節省2.04噸二氧化碳當量。
Top of the list is living car-free, which saves an average of 2.04 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person annually.
其次是駕駛電動汽車-每人每年1.95噸二氧化碳當量-每年減少一次長途飛行-每人1.68噸二氧化碳當量。
This is followed by driving a battery-electric car - 1.95 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person annually - and taking one less long-haul flight each year - 1.68 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person.
研究表明，改用純素食飲食會有所幫助-但不及解決運輸問題。
Switching to a vegan diet will help - but less than tackling transport, the research shows.
研究說，諸如回收之類的活動是值得的，但不會減少太多的排放。
It says popular activities such as recycling are worthwhile but don’t cut emissions by as much.
改變心態
Change of mindset
第一作者，里茲大學的Diana Ivanova博士告訴英國廣播公司：“我們需要徹底改變觀念。
The lead author, Dr. Diana Ivanova from Leeds University, told BBC News: “We need a complete change of mindset.
“我們必須達成共識，在地球可以承受的範圍內，我們每個人可以排放多少碳，然後在這些界限內過上美好的生活”
“We have to agree how much carbon we can each emit within the limits of what the planet can bear – then make good lives within those boundaries.
“現在我們可以使用前10個選項，而無需使用有爭議且昂貴的新技術。”
“The top 10 options are available to us now, without the need for controversial and expensive new technologies.”
Diana Ivanova博士說，冠狀病毒的封鎖令顯現，如果公共交通，步行和騎行被改善，許多人可以不用使用汽車生活。
Dr. Ivanova said the coronavirus lockdown has shown that many people could live without cars if public transport, walking, and cycling were improved.
她的研究點出了富有的人，他們通常會乘搭更多的航班，開更大的汽車，並且消費更多。
Her research highlights rich people who typically take more flights, drive bigger cars, and consume the most.
“道德問題”
A 'moral issue'
她說：“全世界都在遭受氣候變化的困擾，但普通人不經常飛行-只有一小群人。但航空業的稅負卻很低。這是一個道德問題。”
She said: “All the world suffers from climate change, but it’s not the average person who flies regularly – it’s a small group, yet aviation is under-taxed. It’s a moral issue.”
在她的列表當中，購買可再生能源和使用公共交通名列第四和第五。
In her league table, buying renewable power and using public transport rank fourth and fifth.
第六項是使你的房屋隔熱可以節省0.895噸二氧化碳當量。
Sixth is insulating your home well, which saves 0.895 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
第七項正在轉向純素飲食，可節省0.8噸。
Seventh is switching to a vegan diet, which saves 0.8 tonnes.
其他重要措施是使用熱泵。把污染炊具（在發展中國家）轉換城更好的烹飪方法，並使用可再生能源為建築物供暖。
Other top actions are using heat pumps; switching from polluting cookstoves (in developing countries) to better methods of cooking, and heating buildings with renewable energy.
Ivanova博士說，如果人們執行這些措施，將每人每年節省約9噸二氧化碳當量（CO2e）。
Dr. Ivanova said that if people implemented the measures, it would save around nine tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per person per year.
英國目前的家庭年排放量約為10噸，美國為17噸。
Current annual household emissions are around 10 tonnes in the UK, and 17 in the US.
“有價值”的研究
'Valuable' study
該研究發表在Environmental Research Letters雜誌上不久，它說以下是值得的，但對氣候的好處較小：少用紙或購買更耐用的物品；Ivanova博士表示，關閉恆溫器並進行回收利用，每年可節省0.01噸二氧化碳當量。
The study, out soon in the journal Environmental Research Letters, says the following are worthwhile, but of a lesser benefit to the climate: green roofs; using less paper; buying more durable items; turning down the thermostat - and recycling, which saves 0.01 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year, according to Dr. Ivanova.
但一些發現受到質疑。民意調查顯示，有些人認為例如氣候與病毒一樣重要，但有些人則不認為。
Some of the findings will be questioned. Polls suggest some people think the climate is as important as the virus, for instance, but some don’t.
澳大利亞New South Wales 大學的Tommy Wiedmann 教授說：“這是一項有價值的研究。但它只考慮碳足跡，而不考慮其他影響，例如由於電動汽車電池的鋰開採而導致的水資源短缺。“
Professor Tommy Wiedmann from the University of New South Wales in Australia, said: “This is a valuable study. But it only looks at the carbon footprint and not at other impacts like water scarcity because of lithium mining for electric car batteries.
來自綠色聯盟智囊團的Libby Peake告訴英國廣播公司：“人們不應該停止良好的生活習慣，例如回收利用，這樣可以節省一些碳，同時防止浪費和節約資源。”
Libby Peake, from the Green Alliance, think tank, told BBC News: “People shouldn’t stop good habits like recycling, which saves some carbon while preventing waste and conserving resources.”
“更好的設計使人們可以購買更少但質量更高的東西，並居住在碳足跡較低的建築物中。這些節省不一定涵蓋在這項研究中。”
“Better design allows people to buy fewer but higher-quality things and to live in buildings with lower carbon footprints. These savings aren’t necessarily covered by this study.”
Source: BBC
