Charles Teves
- Physically active people release a lot of carbon dioxide
- Obesity will increase food production globally
The Obese Society has claimed that obese people are harming the Earth by giving out an extra 700 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.
Obese people make up 1.6% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions and 20% of overall greenhouse gas emissions.
Those who are obese have a higher metabolic rate, plus they impact the environment by needing more food and fuel to be transported.
Faidon Magkos, the corresponding author of the paper and nutritionist at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, says that avoiding obesity not only benefits people, but also the environment overall.
‘Our analysis suggests that, in addition to beneficial effects on morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs, managing obesity can favorably affect the environment as well.’
Additionally, obese people on average, produce an extra 81kg of carbon dioxide emissions from a higher metabolism, 593kg from greater food and drink consumption and an extra 476kg per year from car and air transportation.
Obese people also produces 49 megatons of greenhouse gas emissions a year.
Production of goods and services will be increasing not only because of an increase in population but also because of obesity.
Fossil fuels will be produced more these days just so obese people can be transported properly which produces more carbon dioxide emissions.
Automobile and air transportation will be producing more greenhouse gas emissions because of obesity.
The study makes it clear that it does not aim to discriminate against obese people, which can make things worse.
“People with obesity already suffer from negative attitudes and discrimination against them, and numerous studies have documented several prevalent stereotypes, e.g., that individuals with obesity are lazy, weak‐willed, lack self‐discipline, have poor willpower, and are noncompliant with weight loss treatments.”
Ironically, Nutritionist Boyd Swinburn from the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, says that people who are active and exercise regularly also produce carbon dioxide into the environment.
