英国一所大学禁止在校内售卖牛肉汉堡，以应对全球气候变暖。伦敦大学金史密斯学院将禁止在校内售卖所有牛肉类产品，并对瓶装水和一次性塑料杯征收十便士的税。

 

No mince¹, no burgers, and certainly no steak night. Beef is off the menu at Goldsmiths University in London. According to the UN, livestock² accounts for 14.5% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions³ and cattle for almost half of that. That's why the new Warden⁴ of Goldsmiths, their word for the person in charge, has decided⁵ to take this step. Prof Frances Corner says declaring a climate emergency cannot be empty words.

没有肉，没有汉堡，当然也没有 “牛排之夜”。伦敦大学金史密斯学院（Goldsmiths University）的菜单上没有牛肉。根据联合国的统计数据，畜牧业占全球温室气体排放总量的14.5%，而养牛业占畜牧业温室气体排放总量的一半。这也正是为什么伦敦大学金史密斯学院的新任院长（Warden of Goldsmiths）—— 他们对负责人的称呼，决定采取这一举措。弗朗西斯·科纳教授表示，宣布气候紧急状态不能只是一片空话。

 

Banning beef, of course, isn't that huge an intervention⁶, but Goldsmiths is also charging a twelve-cent levy⁷ on bottled water and single-use plastic cups. It plans to install more solar panels and switch to 100% clean energy supplier.

当然，禁止销售牛肉并不是一个巨大的干预，所以伦敦大学金史密斯学院还分别对购买瓶装水和使用一次性塑料杯的人征收12美分（约十便士）的税。该学院还计划安装更多的太阳能电池板，并转用100% 的清洁能源供应商。

 

The beef ban has its critics. The UK's National Farmers' Union says removing beef from menus is an overly simplistic approach and that British beef farming is much more sustainable than average.

也有人对此牛肉禁令进行批评。英国全国农民联盟（National Farmers' Union）说，将牛肉从菜单上移除是一种过于简单的做法，而且英国的牛肉养殖业比普通的牛肉养殖业更具可持续性。

 

Nevertheless, some companies are finding it profitable to offer cattle-free alternatives and not just when it comes to food. Dr Martens, the footwear company, has announced a 70% increase in profits thanks in part to its new range of vegan boots, now amounting to 4% of the company's sales.

尽管如此，一些公司发现给顾客提供不含牛成分的其它选择是有利可图的，而这不仅限于食品行业。马汀博士（Dr Martens），一家鞋类公司，宣布其利润增长了70%，部分原因要归功于新推出的 “素食靴” 系列，目前占公司总销售额的4%。

点击收听单词发音