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.
對于我們中間那些決意在2010年過一種低碳生活的人而言，買一本普拉尚特的新書《節(jié)約的環(huán)保主義者》并不是最糟糕的選擇。作者在書中仔細(xì)檢查了自己生活的點滴細(xì)節(jié)，計算出了如果自己開車速度更慢、在閣樓安裝絕緣材料、或是改吃素食，分別能減少多少二氧化碳排放。其結(jié)果對于一些人來說會有點晦澀難懂，但其專業(yè)性古怪得討人喜歡，而且優(yōu)點是往往是正確的。
　　
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.
這個優(yōu)點被低估了。環(huán)保主義者一直遲鈍，沒有意識到時髦的環(huán)保生活方式充滿著矛盾。尤其讓我惱怒的一點，是對于“食物英里數(shù)”的執(zhí)迷：我們杜絕來自西班牙的西紅柿和來自肯尼亞的玫瑰，而偏愛本地溫室里生長、碳足跡高得多的作物。
　　
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.
另一些不那么顯而易見的事實包括：豬肉和雞肉的碳足跡明顯低于牛肉和羊肉（沒錯，哪怕是有機牛肉和羊肉）；牛奶和奶酪同樣擁有相當(dāng)高的碳足跡；用洗碗機通常比用手洗碗更高效；而環(huán)保型洗衣粉可能明顯對環(huán)境不利，因為它們往往會誘使人們使用熱水。
　　
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.
我的結(jié)論是：好心的環(huán)保主義者每天會做出很多事與愿違的決定。這不能怪他們：這個問題本身就十分復(fù)雜。最近在倫敦，瓦茨愁苦地向我講述，他是如何花了“該死的6個月”試圖研究出對自己家進行環(huán)保改造的方式，他面前放著一盤咖喱什蔬。