Obesity Affecting the Earth's Health?

At first glance, to claim the obesity epidemic -- that began in the US and is spreading around the globe -- is responsible for contributing to global warming, may seem a bit far fetched. But let's take a closer look at this issue. The article below makes some very good points that give reasonable evidence for such a claim. The need for an ever-growing food supply (to feed expanding waistlines) certainly does translate into an increase in the burning of fossil fuels and greater pollution from agriculture, both of which are suspected factors in global warming.

It appears that poor dietary and other lifestyle choices are finally catching up with the human race on a global scale. Overeating and a sedentary lifestyle have always been significant factors in personal health, and they definitely have a major impact on whole families. It is becoming clear that such habits can also take their toll on all residents of planet Earth. If the resources that go into supporting an obese population could be redirected towards solving problems such as mass hunger and devastating public health crises that ravage whole populations around the world, the possibilities would be staggering. Obesity not only kills individuals, but it is a self-serving cultural phenomenon that can negatively affect millions of others worldwide.


Obesity contributes to global warming: study
By Michael Kahn
Thu May 15, 7:03 PM ET

Obesity contributes to global warming, too.

Obese and overweight people require more fuel to transport them and the food they eat, and the problem will worsen as the population literally swells in size, a team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says.

This adds to food shortages and higher energy prices, the school's researchers Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts wrote in the journal Lancet on Friday.

"We are all becoming heavier and it is a global responsibility," Edwards said in a telephone interview. "Obesity is a key part of the big picture."

At least 400 million adults worldwide are obese. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects by 2015, 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese.

In their model, the researchers pegged 40 percent of the global population as obese with a body mass index of near 30. Many nations are fast approaching or have surpassed this level, Edwards said.

BMI is a calculation of height to weight, and the normal range is usually considered to be 18 to 25, with more than 25 considered overweight and above 30 obese.

The researchers found that obese people require 1,680 daily calories to sustain normal energy and another 1,280 calories to maintain daily activities, 18 percent more than someone with a stable BMI.

Because thinner people eat less and are more likely to walk than rely on cars, a slimmer population would lower demand for fuel for transportation and for agriculture, Edwards said.

This is also important because 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions stem from agriculture, he added.

The next step is quantifying how much a heavier population is contributing to climate change, higher fuel prices and food shortages, he added.

"Promotion of a normal distribution of BMI would reduce the global demand for, and thus the price of, food," Edwards and Roberts wrote.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080515/hl_nm/food_climate_obesity_dc&printer=1;_ylt=Ap8_Zzimu5YmrzxGf0XStY0R.3QA