2022年11月18日 VOA慢速英语：新西兰希望减少农场动物的气体排放

 

Scientists in New Zealand are looking for a way to stop cows from burping.
新西兰的科学家正在寻找一种方法来阻止奶牛打嗝。
 
A burp is when an animal releases gas from its digestive system through its throat.
打嗝是动物从体内释放气体时它的消化系统通过它的喉咙。
 
To some, a cow burp might seem like a small thing. But in New Zealand, cows outnumber people two to one. There are only five million people in New Zealand. The nation is home to 10 million cows and 26 million sheep.
对某些人来说，奶牛打嗝似乎是一件小事。但在新西兰，奶牛的数量与人的数量是二比一。新西兰只有五百万人口。全国有1000万头牛和2600万只羊。
 
Cows do not easily digest the grass they eat. Instead, they ferment it in multiple parts of their stomach. The process releases a lot of gas. So, every time someone eats beef or drinks milk, the process of getting that product comes at a high cost to the environment.
奶牛不容易消化它们吃的草。相反，他们在胃的多个部位发酵。该过程释放出大量气体。因此，每当有人吃牛肉或喝牛奶时，获取该产品的过程都会对环境造成高昂的代价。
 
The cows produce methane gas. While the gas does not last as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, it has a much stronger effect on global warming.
奶牛会产生甲烷气体。虽然这种气体在大气中的存留时间不如二氧化碳，但它对全球变暖的影响要大得多。
 
The scientists in New Zealand are working on ways to reduce the amount of gas that comes out of the cows. They are considering changing the food the animals eat, putting a device on the cows that changes the methane into something safer, or even giving them a vaccine.
新西兰的科学家们正在研究减少二氧化碳排放量的方法从奶牛身上。他们正在考虑改变动物吃的食物，在奶牛身上放置一个装置，将甲烷变成更安全的东西，甚至给它们注射疫苗。
 
There is also talk of feeding the cows a special red seaweed or giving them a food addition known as a probiotic, which would help them digest the grass.
还有人说要给奶牛喂一种特殊的红海藻，或者给它们添加一种被称为益生菌的食物添加剂，这将有助于它们消化草。
 
The fight against methane is serious in New Zealand. The country promised to reduce the gas produced by farm animals by up to 47 percent by the year 2050.
在新西兰，与甲烷的斗争非常激烈。该国承诺到 2050 年将农场动物产生的气体最多减少 47%。
 
In addition, farmers want a solution. That is because New Zealand announced plans to tax farmers whose animals produce too much gas. The farmers say they would lose money if the tax plan goes into effect.
此外，农民需要一个解决方案。那是因为新西兰宣布计划对动物产生过多气体的农民征税。农民们表示，如果税收计划生效，他们将蒙受损失。
 
Peter Janssen is one scientist working on a solution. He works for AgResearch, a company owned by the New Zealand government. Janssen said the microscopic organisms, or microbes, that live in the cows' stomachs and produce the methane do not actually help digestion. The scientists believe anti-methane treatments would not hurt the cows or the quality of their meat or milk.
Peter Janssen 是一位致力于解决方案的科学家。他在新西兰政府所有的公司 AgResearch 工作。詹森说，生活在奶牛胃里并产生甲烷的微生物实际上并不能帮助消化。科学家们认为，抗甲烷处理不会伤害奶牛或它们的肉或奶的质量。
 
One idea is a vaccine that would reduce the number of microbes living in the cows. Another is an inhibitor, which would do the same thing. Janssen said both ideas, however, are several years away from being ready.
一个想法是一种疫苗，可以减少奶牛体内的微生物数量。另一种是抑制剂，它会做同样的事情。然而，Janssen 表示，这两个想法都需要数年时间才能准备就绪。
 
Another plan is to breed animals based on how much methane they produce. Some sheep and cows are tested in laboratories. The ones that produce less methane can then be used to breed more animals. The plan could reduce the amount of methane by 15 percent, scientists say.
另一个计划是根据动物产生的甲烷量来培育动物。一些绵羊和牛在实验室进行测试。产生较少甲烷的那些可以用来繁殖更多的动物。该计划
 
One expert said New Zealand is making good progress in reducing emissions that way.
一位专家表示，新西兰在通过这种方式减少排放方面取得了良好进展。
 
Sinead Leahy is the top science advisor at the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Center. She said the country has made "great progress" in breeding sheep that produce less gas.
Sinead Leahy 是新西兰农业温室气体研究中心的首席科学顾问。她说，该国在繁殖产生较少气体的绵羊方面取得了“巨大进步”。
 
Other scientists are working to change the animals' food. The problem with sheep and cows in New Zealand, however, is that they walk around outside and eat grass. It is hard to control their food compared to cows in other countries that come inside to eat. That means one food additive made by a company in the Netherlands is not as helpful in New Zealand.
其他科学家正在努力改变动物的食物。然而，新西兰的羊和牛的问题是它们在外面走来走去吃草。与其他国家的奶牛相比，它们很难控制进食。这意味着荷兰一家公司生产的一种食品添加剂在新西兰没有那么有用。
 
So instead, scientists are trying to change the genetic makeup of the grass and other ground covering the animals eat while outside. A genetic change might reduce the compound in the grass that is hard to digest. The problem with that solution, however, is that New Zealand has strict rules on genetically modified crops. Those rules would need to be changed.
因此，科学家们正试图改变动物在户外吃的草和其他覆盖地面的基因构成。基因改变可能会减少草中难以消化的化合物。然而，该解决方案的问题在于新西兰对转基因作物有严格的规定。这些规则需要更改。
 
Another possibly easier idea comes from farmer Aidan Bichan. He runs Kaiwaiwai Dairies in the town of Featherston, outside of the capital of Wellington. He said he is working to get more milk from each cow. The increased efficiency means he does not need as many cows, which in turn reduces the amount of methane coming from his farm.
另一个可能更简单的想法来自农民 Aidan Bichan。他在首都惠灵顿郊外的费瑟斯顿镇经营着 Kaiwaiwai Dairies。他说他正在努力从每头奶牛身上获得更多的牛奶。效率的提高意味着他不需要那么多奶牛，这反过来又减少了来自他农场的甲烷量。
 
"At a farm level, we've got to do our bit to help save the planet," Bichan said.
“在农场层面，我们必须尽自己的一份力量来帮助拯救地球，”Bichan 说。