Cars aren’t to blame for Global Warming – it’s down to fat people!

Being fat creates an extra tonne of Co2 emissions a year

Much as I’m prone to warn against blindly believing the ‘Cars are destroying the Planet’ mantra we hear every day, it’s not me laying the blame at the feet of our chubby readers.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicines has made the claim, for a variety of reasons, explained by Dr Phil Edwards who said “Walking around in a heavy body is like driving a gas guzzler”. But of course, that needs a little extra explanation to put it in to context.

Food production accounts for 20% of all Co2 emissions in the world. Not just the production of food, but also the transportation of it. It has been estimated that each fat person is responsible for a tonne more Co2 a year than a thin one. Multiply that by the number of fat people around the world (in the US 40% of people are considered obese – and the UK is catching up fast) and you have up to a billion tonnes of extra Co2 in the atmosphere every year caused by gluttony.

But it’s not just food production and transportation of the food that causes the problem. Fat people are much more likely to take short journeys by car than a thin person, potentially adding to the problem, and are much more likely to eat dairy products and consume beef. And cattle are reckoned to be responsible for more greenhouse gasses than cars.

So, next time you’re gesticulated at by a fat ‘Greeny’ as you politely drive your Range Rover down the road, I would suggest you gently point out that they emit more Co2 a year than your car. And then make a brisk departure.

Source: LSHTM