Arguing that obesity is not a disease but a signal, two professors who have been at the forefront of health obesity study for over three decades explain why obesity is the canary in the coalmine, which should alert us to bigger structural problems in society. They explain that though economic growth has over centuries led to a steadily improving standard of living, better levels of health, and ever increasing life spans, it is due to this very affluence that both our bodies and the planet have gone into a downward spiral, manifested by an epidemic of obesity in humans, and a world clogged by greenhouse gasses and waste. This book busts common myths about obesity—that it's a function of sloth and gluttony, that it's always unhealthy, and that it's purely an individual problem. The authors show how it's the relentless drive by governments for more of everything that is causing people to become fat and unhealthy, and significantly harming the environment. They suggest a fundamental change in thinking is needed for how we treat our bodies, how we manage an outdated economic system, and how both these things affect our planet.