|
Статьи
Out with potassium, in with iron
Sweden is a unique country. Its government and citizens are adjusting their lifestyles in order to preserve nature and they also care about the ecosystem. Eco-friendly attitudes and values are an integral part of everyday Swedish life.
Sweden has been suffering from global warming for awhile. It is very important for its people to have ice on the lakes, because it reflects the summer sun energy. When the ice melts, the dark water does not reflect the energy and, as a result, the total ecosystem is negatively affected. Global warming is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and the Swedish as a nation have been consciously trying not only to cut them using government resources but also in everyday personal choices. Moreover, they do their best to create awareness around the world and persuade others to follow the eco-friendly life style.
A discussion about people’s regular selection of food and everyday meals and how it influences climate change took place in the House of Sweden in Washington, D.C., on May 19. Sara J. Scherr, president of the NGO Eco-Agriculture Partners and a Fulbright scholar, and Pär Holmgren, a Swedish weather broadcaster and meteorologist presented to the full house. The discussion was moderated by Nils Bruzelius, science editor of the Washington Post.
A statement about the ways the Swedish care of environment was available in the lobby. It was a piece of modern art, displaying underwear and socks hanging and drying naturally without state-of the-art drying machines. In the middle of this structure there was an electric bulb, which not only heats the clothing but also reminds visitors that only 5 percent of the energy of the bulb is used for light and 95 percent is wasted on heating. The exhibition promotes avoiding energy waste whenever possible.
Another source of greenhouse gas emissions is transportation. “Do we really need bananas at the time other than from February to May? We have plenty of our locally-grown apples and we should eat them,” said Holmgren, describing the carbon emissions caused by transporting food around the world. At this point every citizen can think about his or her personal choices and food preferences, doing regular grocery shopping, to preserve the ecosystem.
Speaking about greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, Scherr highlighted that 31 percent of them come from agriculture and land use. One of the disturbing facts is that the world population has been consuming more meat than it used to. The meat production and the growth of the grain, necessary for feeding cattle, require more natural resources than production of non-meat products. Meat consumption in China, for example, has more than doubled in the past 20 years and is projected to double again by 2030. Livestock now account for 50 percent of the emissions from agriculture and land-use change, according to Scherr.
“There are many incentives to produce unsustainable agriculture,” Scherr said. Such incentives includes, first of all, subsidizing grain production and no fines for businesses for polluting water. “We need to have global taxes,” said Holmgren, speaking about carbon legislations. Otherwise, the production will be moved to the countries with less demanding governments.
Every person should understand that eating more meat is more expensive to the nature and to the future grandchildren, noted Holmgren. It is not about advertising of the vegetarian life style which is not for everybody. It is rather about every day choices which we make. “You can change this today and that tomorrow. Just think about this,” Holmgren said.
The speakers described the ways which would be able to make agriculture more sustainable around the world. They include more active using of perennials (trees, shrubs, palms and grasses) in agriculture, climate-friendly livestock production (production of those types of meat which require less greenhouse gas emissions), forest protection against fires, and others.
Both presenters highlighted that every agricultural business has to make its personal choices. For example, to give an opportunity for wild fauna to move between patches of natural forest, the farmers can create “corridors” in their fields. Businesses should understand that Europeans are becoming more conscious about the sustainable life style.
In Sweden, customers don’t only look at the product’s function and quality, they keep in mind how the product was made and how harmful the production is for the nature. This means that businesses which are not eco-friendly will have tough future in Europe, as individuals will refuse to buy their products.What we eat, how we transport the food and do our laundry – this is what sustainable way of life is. Sweden has many creative approaches to improving our ecosystem and experiences in using their ideas, which it is ready to share with inspired followers. //Yulia Melnyk, kyivpost
|
