If you want to help combat climate change , start by dieting . According to a new British study published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology , a population of 1 billion thin people emits millions of tons less carbon dioxide per year than the same number of fat people.
"Is staying slim good for both your health and the environment ?" Say Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and co-authors of the study. According to their calculations, a slim society, like that of Vietnam, consumes 20% less food and pollutes less than one in which about 40% of people are obese such as the United States. In addition, emissions related to transport are also lower if we maintain a healthy weight, because it is spent less energy in transporting thin people, and because "those who are overweight tend to move less and depend more on the car."
? We must do much more to reverse the global trend towards obesity and recognize that it is a key factor in the battle to reduce emissions and curb climate change, "the scientists conclude.
