Excess passenger weight impacts on US transportation systems fuel use (1970-2010)

Over the past 40 years, the percentage of the US population that is overweight and obese has increased significantly, with nearly 70% of American adults now overweight or obese (National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), 2013). The excess weight that Americans are carrying is taking a toll on the social and physical infrastructure of the country, and may also be counteracting the efforts of industries and policymakers to move towards a more energy efficient and sustainable future. This article analyzes the transportation industry to determine the amount of additional fuel use, greenhouse gas emissions, and fuel costs that are attributed to excess passenger weight in light-duty vehicles, transit vehicles, and passenger aircraft in the US from 1970 to 2010. Using driving and passenger information in the US and historical anthropometric data, it is estimated that since 1970 over 205 billion additional liters of fuel were consumed to support the extra weight of the American population. This is equivalent to 1.1% of total fuel use for transportation systems in the United States. Also, excess passenger weight results in an extra 503 million metric tonnes of equivalent carbon dioxide emissions and $103 billion of additional fuel cost over the last four decades. If overweight and obesity rates continue to increase at its current pace, cumulative excess fuel use could increase by 460 billion liters over the next 50 years, resulting in an extra 1.1 billion metric tonnes of equivalent carbon dioxide and $200 billion of additional fuel costs by the year 2060.