Blaming climate change on obesity!
An article by Sarah
Posted June 17, 2009 
The media, at the moment seem to have an obsession with blaming overweight people for having a greater impact on climate change and the environment and effectively blaming those who are large for something which is society’s fault.
To be honest, I am fed up with this shifting of blame, why can’t we all admit that it is our lifestyle that has caused this problem, the human race as a whole is slowly destroying the planet due to denial. We recycle, probably not as much as we could but some all the same, we have several different bins at the bottom of the drive that are all collected on different days of the week, and are quite honestly ugly – but that is a different matter entirely! What we all need to do is go back to basics, and I am sure that the recession is helping all of us understand what our lifestyles were like and should be instead.
Society and the media forget that obesity is usually the result of an issue or problem, not the cause. Many people who binge on food have done so to provide comfort in response to what might be a mental problem, a social issue, bullying, unhappiness – it is an endless list and there isn’t enough support out there for these people. From reading comment replies to the stories in the media, obese people are not happy with their appearance and want to do something about it but the underlining issues prevent this.
The NHS are starting to provide support and help to individuals that believe the only option is surgery and counselling is made available but this isn’t around for everyone. The government research bodies need to concentrate more on providing support than handing out blame! Where am I getting my angst from? Here’s the quotes I found from Government-backed green “tsar” Sir Jonathan Porritt;
“You can’t be fat and green, according to the chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission. The bigger your gut, the larger your carbon footprint – that’s the argument.
Fat, says Sir Jonathan, is now a “climate change issue”.
The overweight, he claims, tend to eat more protein-rich food such as beef or lamb. That meat is heavy on greenhouse gasses because of the way it is farmed and the methane those animals emit.
Sir Jonathan also believes that obese people are also more likely to use their cars to get about rather than walk or cycle – and, therefore, produce more carbon emissions.
The former Green Party leader says the Government should be encouraging people who are above their recommended body mass index to lose weight, not only to improve their health but for the sake of the environment.” (view source)
Generalisations are going to start getting Party members into trouble if they continue in this manner, there isn’t enough research into how people that are overweight actually do live their life’s. My plea is to help support those with weight problems rather than hinder them with further accusations. Besides people who smoke have got all the support they need to quit, can this system not be implemented for obesity also?
Comments please.
