澳大利亚保护自然资源基金会最新公布的一份研究报告显示，现在，圣诞节正在给自然环境造成一定程度的破坏。

    据路透社12月15日报道，该报告的标题为“圣诞节的隐藏成本”，它详细阐述人们在欢度圣诞节时对图书、服装、酒精类饮料、家用电器及棒棒糖等物品的消费行为给环境带来的负面影响。这份报告显示，澳大利亚人习惯将服装做为礼物相互馈赠，他们花在这上面的每一澳元都会消耗掉20升水，同时还需要占用3.4平方米的土地才能使服装生产过程得以完成。2004年圣诞节期间，澳大利亚人在购买服装方面总共支出6.34亿英镑，这意味着需要有超过50万公顷的土地用于盖生产服装的厂房。而为生产，人们在圣诞节期间所喝掉的各种饮料所使用的水大约可以盛满4.2万个奥运会比赛用游泳池。

    该报告还指出，对于DVD播放器及咖啡机这样的礼物，即使在尚未打开包装使用时，它们就已产生78万吨的温室污染物。其中三分之一是在制造过程中因燃烧各种燃料而被排放到室外的。至于今年圣诞节，人们就是只送一盒价值30澳元的巧克力或棒棒糖，也会消耗掉20公斤自然原料以及940升水。

    该基金会的执行理事唐·亨利表示：“如果圣诞节购物令你的银行帐户变得十分吃紧，那么就不妨为我们的环境考虑考虑，少花点儿钱吧。相互馈赠圣诞礼物的举动其实是在消耗水、土地、空气及其它多种资源。这些成本往往隐藏在我们所买产品的身后。在今年圣诞节期间，我们可以通过适度的吃喝及交换礼物来减轻对环境的破坏，在选择礼物时可以考虑一下那些不易破坏环境的物品，比如，各种服务项目的优惠券，文艺演出的入场券，健身场所、博物馆或体育俱乐部的会员卡等，另外还可以干脆捐一笔钱给慈善机构。”

    Christmas is damaging the environment, says a new report by the Australian Conservation Foundation.

    The report titled "The Hidden Cost of Christmas" calculated the environmental impact of spending on books, clothes, alcohol, electrical appliances and lollies during the festive season.

    Every dollar Australians spend on new clothes as gifts consumes 20 litres (four gallons) of water and requires 3.4 square metres of land in the manufacturing process, it said.

    Last Christmas, Australians spent A$1.5 billion (634 million pounds) on clothes, which required more than half a million hectares (1.2 million acres) of land to produce, it said.

    Water that would approximately fill 42,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools was used in the production of Christmas drinks last December -- most was used to grow barley for beer and grapes for wine.

    "If your bank account is straining under the pressure of Christmas shopping, spare a thought for our environment," Don Henry, the foundation's executive director, said in a statement.

    "It's paying for our Christmas presents with water, land, air and resources. These costs are hidden in the products we buy."

    The report said that gifts like DVD players and coffee makers generated 780,000 tonnes of greenhouse pollution, even before they were unwrapped and used. A third was due to fuel consumption during production.

    Even a box of A$30 chocolates or lollies this Christmas, will consume 20kg (44 pounds) of natural materials and 940 litres (207 gallons) of water.

    "We can all tread more lightly on the earth this Christmas by eating, drinking and giving gifts in moderation, and by giving gifts with a low environmental cost, such as vouchers for services, tickets to entertainment, memberships to gyms, museums or sports clubs, and donations to charities," said Henry.