Profs: Human race must become Hobbits to save planet
British men 3'3" tall would meet UK carbon pledges

By Lewis Page • Get more from this author

Posted in Environment, 20th April 2009 14:32 GMT


Public-health researchers in London have come up with a new plan to save the planet: wealthy westerners should all reduce by several inches in height by starving their children. This would not only save food, but make people much lighter, meaning that cars and buses would use less fuel.

The new insight comes from Professor Ian Roberts and Dr Phil Edwards of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. According to the two men:

A lean population, such as that seen in Vietnam, will consume almost 20% less food and produce fewer greenhouse gases than a population in which 40% of people are obese (close to that seen in the USA today) ... a lean population of 1 billion people would emit between 0.4 and 1.0 gigatonnes less carbon dioxide equivalents per year compared with a fat one.

Between 1994 and 2004 the average male BMI in England increased from 26 to 27.3, with the average female BMI rising from 25.8 to 26.9 (about 3 kg - or half a stone - heavier). Humankind - be it Australian, Argentinian, Belgian or Canadian - is getting steadily fatter.
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Yes even if one doesn't consume meat anymore we can save on energy, pollution, etc. etc.

Imagine if the whole world can become vegetarians. It is said that there would be no starvation in this world anymore if our fields would only be for vegetables, grains, and fruit.

but will the population do it? No, because the majority enjoy eating meat.

It is also true that Americans in general eat alot of junk food and huge dishes of food enough to feed two people each time. It is not healthy and the reason why so many are obese in this country.

yet I think that the FDA wants people fat so they can push their drugs over to them promising they will lose weight if taking them. After all, in my opinion the FDA is one of the biggest criminals of the world pushing 1.2 trillion dollars in profits every quarter.

They don't want you healthy. They want you sick dependent on drugs to survive. It is a big business!

but posting this article only brings injustices to the majority of Americas. Such a change of lifestyle and mind requires much energy and willpower. Something that most will not do and instead refute the article and criticize instead. After all criticizing requires less energy and who can deny a good taste of a grilled steak, jelly donuts, or even some gravy on those mashed potatoes.

It is America's sickness that will never end.

Yes even if one doesn't consume meat anymore we can save on energy, pollution, etc. etc.

Imagine if the whole world can become vegetarians. It is said that there would be no starvation in this world anymore if our fields would only be for vegetables, grains, and fruit.

but will the population do it? No, because the majority enjoy eating meat.

It is also true that Americans in general eat alot of junk food and huge dishes of food enough to feed two people each time. It is not healthy and the reason why so many are obese in this country.

yet I think that the FDA wants people fat so they can push their drugs over to them promising they will lose weight if taking them. Afterall, in my opinion the FDA is one of the biggest criminals of the world pushing 1.2 trillion dollars in profits every quarter.

They don't want you healthy. They want you sick dependent on drugs to survive. It is a big business!

but posting this article only brings injustices to the majority of Americas. Such a change of lifestyle and mind requires much energy and willpower. Something that most will not do and instead refute the article and criticize instead. Afterall criticizing requires less energy and who can deny a good taste of a grilled steak, jelly donuts, or even some gravy on those mashed potatoes.

It is America's sickness that will never end.

The earth is useless with out us.The earth belongs to us and we shall take advantage of everything it has to offer.

Don't believe the hype! There is no food shortage in the world. Enough food is grown in the world to more than feed everyone. Governments are the real problem of food shortages with the help of organizations like the IMF, the World Bank, and Monsanto.

Yes even if one doesn't consume meat anymore we can save on energy, pollution, etc. etc.

Imagine if the whole world can become vegetarians. It is said that there would be no starvation in this world anymore if our fields would only be for vegetables, grains, and fruit.

but will the population do it? No, because the majority enjoy eating meat.

It is also true that Americans in general eat alot of junk food and huge dishes of food enough to feed two people each time. It is not healthy and the reason why so many are obese in this country.

yet I think that the FDA wants people fat so they can push their drugs over to them promising they will lose weight if taking them. Afterall, in my opinion the FDA is one of the biggest criminals of the world pushing 1.2 trillion dollars in profits every quarter.

They don't want you healthy. They want you sick dependent on drugs to survive. It is a big business!

but posting this article only brings injustices to the majority of Americas. Such a change of lifestyle and mind requires much energy and willpower. Something that most will not do and instead refute the article and criticize instead. Afterall criticizing requires less energy and who can deny a good taste of a grilled steak, jelly donuts, or even some gravy on those mashed potatoes.

It is America's sickness that will never end.

I just think about the amount of food, especially produce that is thrown away by grocery stores around the country on a daily basis because people don't alway buy what they have. Or how about all the buffet resteraunts? People are out there starving to death and we constantly throw food out to the trash.

got news for ya... the earth was here LOONNNGG before we were. The earth doesn't need us. We need the earth.

There is no such thing as "a waste of recourses". Such as food thrown away by a restaurant is only a waste because someone is prohibited to make money on utilizing it.

Go ahead, buy it from a restaurant and send it to the starving. No? Why not? Because, you don't want to waste money. The which is the waste? Throwing it away or sending it? I am sure the restaurant will sell their waste if you'd buy it.

So, thus we can see, that the food is thrown out either because no one is willing to buy it, i.e. it is worthless (presents no worth to a buyer), or he is prohibited by some regulation from buying, transporting it to the hungry and selling it.

Besides, what would they buy it for? They have no money? O.K., then if the food wasn't grown for that restaurant, who and why would grow it or something else for the hungry, that do not want to pay?

Humans are omnivores. This means we require both meat and vegetables. The required portions of these foods vary upon to location and genes.

Unfortunately we would most likely suffer from malnutrition if we all became vegitarians. And I don't see much help coming from the FDA on that one...

Restaurants donate the food to food pantries.

While it is true that we are omnivores, I would have to disagree that one needs meat to live a healthy life.

I have been a vegetarian for the longest time and am a healthy strong man of 200 pounds with no side affects. lol

One can live a healthy life without eating meat.

If the world can do it, I am convinced that I won't see it in my lifetime, yet I don't think the world would get sick or die of starvation if they aren't exposed to meat.

There are many ways to get protein in your diet without having to eat another living thing.

Actually you would live a healthier life if one doesn't eat alot or any meat in their diet.