胖人对环境危害更大-英语点津

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine published a study showing that, because of food production and transportation factors, a population of heavier people contributes more harmful gases to the planet than a population of thin people.

伦敦卫生和热带医学学院的研究者们发布的研究结果显示，由于食品生产加工和运输等因素，超重的人群比瘦人们向地球“贡献”了更多的有害气体。

Given that it takes more energy to move heavier people, transportation of heavier people requires more fuel, which creates more greenhouse gas emissions, the authors write.

研究者们写道，考虑到胖人移动需要消耗更多的能量，体重越重的人在运输时就需要约多的燃料，而这会造成了更多的温室气体的排放。

The study offers this novel approach to the global warming problem as US lawmakers discuss the future of climate change legislation. This week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to begin on a comprehensive energy and climate bill. On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that six greenhouse gases pose potential health hazards, an announcement that could prompt the regulation of the gases.

美国立法者们正在讨论未来对气候变化立法的事情，而这项研究便提供了一个解决全球变暖问题的新方法。众议院能源和商务委员会定于本周提交一份综合能源和气候议案。周五环保署宣布6种温室气体会造成潜在的健康危害，这将推动有关气体方面的管理。

More than 1 billion adults worldwide are overweight, and about 300 million are obese, the study said. Generally, the body mass index, a measure of obesity, is increasing in most countries worldwide, from China to European countries to the United States. 研究称，全球有超过十亿的成年人超重，其中大约有3亿人过度肥胖。总体而言，从中国到欧洲再到美国，世界大多数国家的体重指数（BMI——肥胖测量标准）一直在增长。

BMI is going up because of the availability of food and motorized transportation, Edwards said. People are less active now than they were 30 years ago, and the prence of fast food has given people less healthy, more energy-dense options.

BMI因为食物更加容易获得和机械化运输的实现而持续上升。因为人们比30年前更加懒散，快餐的流行也给了人们健康程度降低但热量增加的选择。

"In terms of environmental impact, the lean population has a much smaller carbon footprint," Edwards said.

爱德华称：“就对环境的影响而言，体型瘦小人群的碳足迹要小得多。”

The population with 40 percent obese people requires 19 percent more food energy for its total energy expenditure than the population with 3.5 percent obese people, the study showed.

研究显示，拥有40%肥胖率的人口，其所需能源消耗要比肥胖率为3.5%的人口多19%。

"The findings make sense and highlight an important global co-benefit of losing weight, along with the significant personal health benefits," said Patrick Kinney, associate professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study.

哥伦比亚大学邮差公共卫生学院的副教授帕特里克•凯尼并未参与此项研究，但他认为：“这些结果非常有意义，它们揭示了减肥是为了全球的共同利益，且对个人健康也益处良多。”

（英语点津Jennifer编辑）