New research from the Department of Economics at American University of Sharjah finds that obesity may be a significant contributor to climate change.
This research, which was published in the journal Public Health, assessed the connection between the obesity rate and greenhouse gas emissions across the United States over a 15-year period.According to Dr. Jay Squalli, the author of this study and Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics of the School of Business Administration, “This research lies on the premise that obese people are not only heavier to transport but also frequent users of private vehicles. As a result, increased fuel consumption is expected to increase carbon emissions.” He added, “Obese people also consume more food than their leaner counterparts, and that could contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.” He explained that “In order to satisfy larger consumption of food, more pesticides and fertilizers must be used to increase yields, and these larger yields must be then transported to their end users.”
