Lose Weight, Save a Tree?

by nicole ~ April 28, 2009

Last week, a study done by the International Journal of Epidemiology by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical medicine concluded that overweight people are harmful to the environment. When I first heard about this I thought it was kind of an interesting topic and correlation, but didn’t give it much more thought than that.  As it turns out, this study has caused quite a bit of outrage in the media and blogosphere.

According to this New York Times article:

“Phil Edwards, a statistician and the head of the Nutrition and Public Health Intervention Research Unit at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told me last week that he was receiving a lot of hate mail.”

It is interesting to see the reactions of different bloggers on this topic.  One blogger at Green Packs wrote in a somewhat snarky tone:

“It is estimated that each fat person is responsible for about one ton of carbon dioxide emissions a year more than the average than a thin person. The calculators have determined that the average European accounts for 11 tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year.  Save the world! Go on a diet!”

The New York Times own Green Inc. blog brought up the topic of weight discrimination in their posting:

“Many people already are aware that driving an S.U.V. or traveling by plane can dramatically increase an individual’s carbon footprint, and the study seems to support the idea that some of the most effective ways of reducing emissions begin with changes in individual lifestyles.

Governments around the world are beginning to tax and regulate those activities on the basis that doing so will help protect the climate. But the implication is that attention could start to focus on the size of waistlines - and that could raise the specter of discrimination on the basis of weight.”

Other bloggers, like Dan Shapley at The Daily Green, tried put a positive spin on it.  He said, “Losing weight, it turns out, is not only good for you, but good for the environment.” He also points readers to their Earth Day Diet, which touts itself as “An 18-point a la carte menu to help you simplify your diet, get healthy, save the earth — and save money.” 

Overall I think this is an interesting study that brings up an interesting perspective, but is also a very touchy subject.  Personally I think people need to remember that protecting the environment isn’t the only reason why it is important to maintain a healthy weight, just as overweight people aren’t the only reason our environment is in trouble.

Nicole Amato is an Account Executive at Mediashop PR and a graduate of Northeastern University with a BA in Journalism.