It's Not A Stretch: Obesity Affects Global Warming

Here's yet another example of how much our food choices impact the world around us. Eating less meat and take-out; and more organic and locally produced foods is not only healthy but environmentally responsible. It can solve the obesity epidemic as well as lightening food's ecological impact. A new report reveals that staying slim is as important for the planet’s health as for our own.

Countries with normal rates of obesity (3.5%) consume almost 20% less food and produce up to one gigatonne fewer greenhouse gases than a population with a 40% obesity rate, concluded the article published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

A higher rate of obesity would mean both an increase in emissions from food production, which today accounts for around a fifth of manmade greenhouse gases, and from transport. Also, leaner populations are more likely to walk and cycle, and cars and planes use less fuel when transporting lighter people.

The higher the obsesity rate, the higher incidence of fast-food and take-out, which means more containers and plasticware thrown in landfills. Obesity is often due to overconsumption - which is the main reason humans can be held responsible for environmental problems like dwindling natural resources and global warming. 

(Source: Green Futures)

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