So is there merit to this hypothesis or is it just one more way of laying a guilt trip on those who are overweight?

Let’s look at the facts.

This recent discussion relating obesity to global warming started when The Lancet published a letter by two British scientists that stated the obese population consumes 18% more food energy than the normal weight population. And as a result…

“…more transportation fuel energy will be used to transport the increase mass of the obese population, which will increase even further if, as is likely, the overweight people in response to their increased body mass choose to walk less and drive more.”

This, by the way, is not a new argument.

A couple of years ago Sheldon H. Jacobson, a University of Illinois professor, published a similar idea in an article – Economic Impact of Obesity on Automobile Fuel Consumption – in the Engineering Economist. Based on his calculations, it was taking a billion extra gallons of gas a year to transport increasingly overweight Americans.

Why?

Simple physics really – the more weight in the car, the lower the gas mileage.

But it’s more than just the transportation of increasingly heavier people that is increasing fossil fuel consumption.

The foods that people eat has also increased the amount of fossil fuel consumption. What with chemical fertilizers and food processing plus packaging and cross country shipping, the food system itself uses about a fifth of all fossil fuels consumed in America.

So if you are going to look at the issue of obesity and global warming, it’s not just people transportation at issue but also…

the food system itself  that could be considered the culprit.

What to do about it?

Short of ’stop eating’, I’d suggest we start…

Ditching the car whenever we can. Try walking,cycling, and local (preferably green) transportation. This allows for not only increased exercise but also decreased dependence on fossil fuels. It’s a win/win situation for your health, the environment, and your wallet.

Eat local foods whenever possible. Head for the local farmers market (unfortunately this might not help the wallet but think of all the money you’re saving by ditching the car), create your own vegetable garden, and eat less meat.

So fact or fiction – is obesity a contributing factor to global warming?

What do you think?

Post from: Healthbolt