骆驼过多成负担 澳议员呼吁“杀骆驼救地球”
Australia is considering proposals to kill all the wild camels that roam the outback as part of its contribution to fighting global warming。
The 1.2 million camels, considered pests by farmers and conservationists, each produce a methane equivalent of one ton of carbon dioxide a year。
That makes them collectively one of the Australia's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases。
But if the government goes ahead, politicians will be braced for a backlash from animal lovers, who are already a powerful voice against annual kangaroo culls。
Tim Moore, managing director of Adelaide-based Northwest Carbon, a commercial company, proposed the extermination idea to the government。
He said: 'They live anywhere from 30 to 50 years in the wild and because there's 1.2 million of them their numbers and the gases they produce are doubling every nine years.'
The camels were brought to the country by Afghan migrant workers in the 1800s to help with building roads and laying railroad tracks。
Under Mr Moore's plan, which will see the government awarding carbon credits to individuals and organisations involved in the cull, camels will be shot from helicopters or four-wheel-drive vehicles。
Others would be rounded up and sent to an abattoir for either human or pet consumption。
Culls of camels that roam in the outback reaches of four states have been carried out before, but Mr Moore's plan would involve wiping out every one of the creatures。
Mr Moore said there were particularly great job opportunities for Aborigines who joined in the project。
Mark Dreyfus, parliamentary secretary for climate change, said the government was considering various proposals to reduce carbon pollution - including Mr Moore's suggestion - to be included in Canberra's 'Carbon Farming Initiative'。
Without nuclear power, Australia relies on coal to generate electricity, putting it among the world's worst per capita polluters。为抵御全球气候变暖，澳大利亚正考虑接受扑杀所有内陆地区野生骆驼的建议。
澳大利亚目前有120万头骆驼，被农民和环保主义者视为害兽。每头骆驼每年排出的甲烷相当于一吨二氧化碳。
因此，这120万头骆驼已成为澳大利亚最大的温室气体排放大军。
但如果政府扑杀骆驼，又将受到动物保护者的强烈抵制，每年扑杀袋鼠的活动已经遭到了他们的猛烈抨击。
位于阿德莱德的西北部碳工程商业公司总经理蒂姆•摩尔向政府提议彻底扑杀骆驼。
他说：“骆驼在野外到处都是，寿命长达30年到50年，多达120万只，而且种群数量和废气排放量每九年就翻一番。”
骆驼是在19世纪由前来修建公路、铺设铁轨的阿富汗外来务工者带到澳大利亚的。
按照摩尔的计划，扑杀人员会开着直升机、驾驶四驱车“追杀”野驼大军。政府将向参与扑杀的个人和组织奖励碳信用额。
其它骆驼将被赶到一起，送进屠宰场，制成人或宠物的食品。
澳大利亚的四个州曾经开展过扑杀内地野生骆驼的行动，但摩尔的计划却是将骆驼彻底灭种。
摩尔称，这一活动能为土著居民提供大量的工作机会。
澳大利亚气候变化议会秘书马克•德弗斯表示，政府正在考虑多种措施减少碳排放，包括摩尔的建议。这些措施将被纳入政府制定的“农业碳排措施”中。
澳大利亚不使用核能，主要依靠煤发电，是全球人均污染最严重的国家之一。
