Obesity = 5 Percent Extra GHG Emissions

Carbon Emissions Fuelled by High Rates of Obesity.
Guardian, April 20th, 2009

According to the article, "The greenhouse gas emissions from food production and car travel for the fatter billion people were estimated at between 0.4bn and 1bn extra tonnes a year. That is a significant amount in comparison with the world's total emissions of 27bn tonnes in 2004."

The study was conducted by
Phil Edwards @ London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
and published in International Journal of Epidemiology.

And less energy consumed translates directly to less air pollution. For example, less car mileage or less fuel consumed = less pollutants emitted.

Also see, "Consumption, Not Population is our Main Environmental Threat", on AlterNet, April 14th, 2009.

Checkout "Globesity - Planet Out of Control?" by EarthScan Publishers.