A TWO-PRONGED attack on laziness and obesity could significantly slow down global warming.
So says Paul Higgins, an Earth systems scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, who told 快猫短视频 that the idea took root at a restaurant as he watched a waiter bring plates heaped with food. The plentiful food, he realised, represents a huge investment of resources, much of which only serves to line diners with fat rather than do useful work.
Higgins figured that using the food energy to walk or cycle instead of driving could significantly reduce fossil fuel consumption. He looked at the exercise regime recommended by the US Institute of Medicine of the National Academies: a routine equivalent to walking five kilometres or biking 20 kilometres each day. More than 60 per cent of Americans fail to do that, and that is partly why nearly 100 million people in the US are overweight or obese. Higgins estimated that if those between the age of 10 and 65 switched to the exercise plan instead of driving, it would reduce US carbon dioxide emissions by 11 per cent.
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The exercise would also result in an average weight loss of 12 kilograms of fat for walkers and 26 kilograms for bikers, enough to virtually eliminate the obesity epidemic. Higgins calculated that this would save roughly $117 billion in medical costs for treating obesity 鈥� enough to fund initiatives to reduce total US CO2 emissions by more than one-third.
Higgins admits that his simplified argument doesn鈥檛 account for many factors, including people who have to drive so far they cannot possibly walk or bike instead. He is now working on a more sophisticated model that will incorporate more of the complexities.
鈥淚f we were all to adopt the US president鈥檚 fitness plan we would not need to adopt some of his energy policy鈥�
But he still believes that exercise has great potential to reduce oil consumption and pre-empt unpopular alternatives proposed by US president, such as drilling in Alaska鈥檚 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for more oil. 鈥淲e have a president who is a very fit guy,鈥� says Higgins. 鈥淚f we were all to adopt his fitness plan, we would not need to adopt some of his energy policy.鈥�
