A report urges radical rethinking of the problems of obesity, hunger and climate

PARIS – To overcome the interlocking pandemics of obesity, hunger and climate change, governments must limit the political influence of big business, said a major report released Jan. 27, calling for a similar "global treaty" to the one on tobacco control.

But this will only happen if ordinary citizens demand a "radical overhaul" of the relationship between policy makers and businesses, concluded nearly four dozen Commission experts on Lancet obesity.

"Powerful opposition from business interests, a lack of political leadership and a societal demand for insufficient change prevent any action," they said in a statement.

Nearly one billion people are hungry and two billion are eating too much of the wrong foods, leading to epidemics of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Unhealthy diets account for up to 11 million premature deaths each year, according to the latest Global Disease Burden report.

"Malnutrition in all its forms – including undernutrition and obesity – is by far the leading cause of health problems and premature death worldwide," said Boyd Swinburn, Co-Chair of the Commission, Professor at the University of Auckland. "Climate change is expected to significantly worsen undernutrition and obesity."

The way food is currently produced, distributed and consumed not only feeds hunger and obesity pandemics, but also generates 25 to 30 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions that heat the planet. Bovine production alone accounts for more than half of these gases, in the form of flatulence and methane-laden carbon dioxide, when forests, particularly in Brazil, are cleared to make way for livestock. A car-dominated transportation system contributes 15 to 25 percent of emissions and promotes a sedentary lifestyle.

"All of these factors are underpinned by weak political governance, the continued economic pursuit of GDP growth and the powerful commercial engineering of overconsumption," the report says. "Undernutrition is declining too slowly to reach global targets, no country has reversed its obesity epidemic and comprehensive policy measures to counter the threat of climate change have barely begun."

Despite 30 years of scientific warnings about the disastrous consequences of global warming, carbon dioxide emissions reached record levels in 2017 and again last year. As all these problems are nested, the researchers also stressed that the answers had to be made.

"Bringing together three pandemics" – hunger, obesity, climate – "together like" Global Syndrome "allows us to look at common drivers and shared solutions," they said.

Another report from the Lancet Commission called for a radical change in the global diet to improve health and prevent "catastrophic" damage to the planet.

"Until now, undernutrition and obesity were considered polar opposites consisting of too few or too many calories," said Swinburn. "In reality, they are both inspired by the same unhealthy and inequitable food systems, backed by the same political economy."

The report calls for a framework convention on food systems – similar to the global conventions on tobacco control and climate change – to limit the influence of the food industry.

Experts argue that economic incentives need to be revised. Some $ 5 trillion in government subsidies for fossil fuels and the large-scale agri-food industry should be shifted to "sustainable practices in energy, agriculture and food." They said.

To sharply reduce the consumption of red meat, for example, the report advocates high taxes, removal of subsidies, as well as transparent labeling in health and environmental terms. In addition, they support the creation of a $ 1 billion philanthropic fund to support basic action.

"The support of civil society is essential to get out of the political stalemate," said co-author of the report, William Dietz, a professor at George Washington University. "As with other social movements – like campaigns to introduce taxes on sugary drinks – efforts … are more likely to start at the community, city or state level."

"Sucking into" global syndemy "requires urgent rethinking of how we eat, live, consume and move," said Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet.

The two Lancet reports are not the only urgent call of science in recent months. In October, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change called for an economic and social "paradigm shift" to avoid global chaos.

Industry representatives and libertarians describe the report's findings as overworked and assaulted on free choice. Health advocates and climate experts, however, praised the Lancet Commission's massive call for profound change.

"It's been too long since we dream of an unhealthy future," said Katie Dain, executive director of the NCD Alliance. "A food system that provides better nutrition for this generation and future generations will save millions of lives and at the same time help save the planet."