• Melanie Lowe.
• McCaughey VicHealth Centre for Community Wellbeing, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria.
• Aust N Z J Public Health. 2014 Feb 1; 38 (1): 19-24.

ObjectiveTo provide an overview of the shared structural causes of obesity and climate change, and analyse policies that could be implemented in Australia to both equitably reduce obesity rates and contribute to mitigating climate change.MethodsInformed by the political economy of health theoretical framework, a review was conducted of the literature on the shared causes of, and solutions to, obesity and climate change. Policies with potential co-benefits for climate change and obesity were then analysed based upon their feasibility and capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and equitably reduce obesity rates in Australia.ResultsPolicies with potential co-benefits fit within three broad categories: those to replace car use with low-emissions, active modes of transport; those to improve diets and reduce emissions from the food system; and macro-level economic policies to reduce the over-consumption of food and fossil fuel energy.ConclusionGiven the complex causes of both problems, it is argued that a full spectrum of complementary strategies across different sectors should be utilised.ImplicationsSuch an approach would have significant public health, social and environmental benefits.© 2014 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2014 Public Health Association of Australia.

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