People in Costa Rica are getting fatter, and this weight increase is not in character with our country’s goal of becoming a carbon-neutral nation by the year 2021. Such is the conclusion of respected agricultural and ecosystems expert Don Alexander Bonilla Duran.

A lot has been written about the recent report released by the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) in the United States concerning obesity forecasts. The report, which was labeled as “grim” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, is actually better than earlier expected. By 2030, the report states, 42 percent of Americans could be obese, and 11 percent could be overweight by more than 100 pounds. The forecast was revised downward from 50 percent.

A similar situation could be brewing in Costa Rica. About a year ago, the Latin American Congress on Obesity met in Venezuela to share statistics and information on the epidemic that is sweeping through the Americas. The conclusion at that symposium was that Venezuela was leading the pack in obesity rates, closely followed by Guatemala, Uruguay and Costa Rica. This puts our country in a similar position as Mexico, and it is important to point out that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) determined that in 2010 Mexico was the industrialized country with the highest rate of obese and overweight population: 30 and 70 percent, respectively.

The obesity rates in Costa Rica that are cited by La Caja usually come from studies performed by the World Health Organization (WHO) rather than the OECD. Still, the figures are alarming: the combined percentage of obese and overweight adult Ticos is 62 percent. A lower number of Ticas fall under this category: 60 percent, and according to the most recent census in Costa Rica, women outnumber men by almost 9,000, or 2 percent, a statistic consistent with other countries in the region. Judging by these statistics, Costa Rica could be as fat as the United States.

Mr. Bonilla argues that the globesity phenomenon is having an impact on the environment. He mentions that obesity in industrialized countries has a direct effect on higher carbon emissions, citing findings by the International Journal of Epidemiology. Fatter populations need 19 percent more calories to survives and tend to be more mobile (and drive longer distances). According to Mr. Bonilla, an obese person produces one more ton of carbon emissions than a thin person.

There may be an additional correlation: Mr. Bonilla cites a Japanese study that looked at the tributyltin compounds present in fumes exuded by industrial paints and pesticides. These compounds, which are higher in industrialized nations, could stimulate the growth of adipose tissue (fat cells).

A final recommendation is offered by Mr. Bonilla: as part of the initiatives in Costa Rica to reduce our carbon footprint, there should also be a strategy to combat obesity. He recommends that by losing weight we can get closer to achieving carbon neutrality on an individuals level. This means planting less trees, and instead doing more exercise and eating healthier.