New Study Shows-Obese People Are Contributing To Global Warming

New Study Shows-Obesity Is Contributing To Global Warming and more than 1 billion adults worldwide are overweight, and about 300 million are obese. World wide, the body mass index, a measure of obesity, is increasing in most countries worldwide, from China to European countries to the United States.

If you are a Green Peace person, here is another reason to stay thin and in shape. According to a new study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a population of heavier people contributes more harmful gases to the planet than a population of thin people.

Researchers state that given that it takes more energy to move heavier people, transportation of heavier people requires more fuel, which creates more greenhouse gas emissions.

“The main message is staying thin. It’s good for you, and it’s good for the planet,” said Phil Edwards, senior lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The new study offers this “stay thin or get thin” approach to the global warming problem as U.S. lawmakers discuss the future of climate change legislation. This week, the the House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to begin on a comprehensive energy and climate bill.

April 17th, 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that six greenhouse gases pose potential health hazards, an announcement that could prompt the regulation of the gases.

The new study shows that world Body Mass Index is climbing because of the availability of food and motorized transportation. People are less active now than they were 30 years ago, and the prevalence of fast food has given people less healthy, more energy-dense options.

The study also hows that, “In terms of environmental impact, the lean population has a much smaller carbon footprint.”

The population with 40 percent obese people requires 19 percent more food energy for its total energy expenditure than the population with 3.5 percent obese people, the study showed.

This 19 percent increase in food consumption translates into an increase of 270 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the study said.

“The findings make sense and highlight an important global co-benefit of losing weight, along with the significant personal health benefits,” said Patrick Kinney, associate professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, who by the way, was not involved in the study.

Being an overweight person, I find it hard to blame the green house effect on overweight and heavy people. I blame it on companies, gas companies and the automotive industries. 50-30 years ago scientists warned the world what was going to happen and those industries did NOTHING. They just made more gas guzzler’s. Tires that continue to wear out and created more wars.

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