Fossil Fuels Cause More Deaths Than Previously Estimated
New research reveals the extensive health dangers posed by fossil fuels, affecting millions globally across every stage of life and demanding urgent action.
Fossil Fuels: An Escalating Threat to Global Health
Fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—power much of the world’s transportation, industry, and electricity. However, the full scale of their threat to human health is often overlooked. New research shows that the health impacts of fossil fuels are far more severe and widespread than previously estimated, making this not just a climate crisis but a direct public health emergency.
The Expanding Global Health Burden
Pollution from fossil fuel extraction, transport, use, and disposal contributes to millions of premature deaths annually. The World Health Organization reports that 4.2 million people died in 2019 from exposure to fine particulate matter produced by fossil fuel combustion alone. Newer, more comprehensive models have attributed even higher death tolls, especially when considering indirect effects and data from underreported regions.
- Every stage of the fossil fuel lifecycle—from extraction and refinement to combustion and disposal—creates hazardous pollution.
- Pollution does not dissipate quickly; its impacts are persistent and systemic, often remaining in air, water, and soil for decades.
Impacts Across the Human Lifespan
Research shows that fossil fuels endanger health at every stage of life—from fetal development to old age. Health harms include:
- Pregnancy and Pre-Birth: Exposure linked to miscarriages, preterm births, and congenital birth defects.
- Childhood: Increased rates of childhood asthma, leukemia, and developmental disorders.
- Adulthood: Higher risk of cancer, stroke, heart and respiratory diseases, and mental health crises.
- Old Age: Complications from chronic illnesses worsened by pollution, such as dementia and cardiovascular disease.
One major U.S. study found that air pollution from oil and gas activities causes 91,000 premature deaths each year, 10,350 preterm births, and 216,000 new asthma cases in children. Notably, nearly 90% of new childhood asthma cases linked to nitrogen dioxide pollution were traced directly to the oil and gas sector.
Case Study: Birth Outcomes Near Extraction Sites
A Colorado study of nearly 125,000 births found mothers living near intensive natural gas development had significantly higher odds of congenital heart defects and possibly neural tube defects in newborns, demonstrating localized risks that can be compounded by broader environmental exposure.
Uneven and Unjust Health Burdens
Health impacts from fossil fuels are not distributed equally.
- Marginalized communities—including Black, Asian, Native American, and Hispanic groups—are consistently the most affected by pollution from fossil fuels, particularly in the United States.
- Communities near extraction, refining, or major transportation hubs face compounded risks from chronic exposure, poor infrastructure, and limited access to healthcare.
- Extreme weather events—exacerbated by fossil fuel-driven climate change—hit vulnerable areas harder, further limiting access to medical care and disrupting essential services.
What others are reading
Environmental injustice means that those living in proximity to fossil fuel operations or in under-resourced regions suffer disproportionately. During climate emergencies, such as hurricanes or wildfires, these existing health burdens are sharply intensified.
How Fossil Fuels Harm Human Health
The damaging health effects of fossil fuels arise in multiple ways:
- Air pollution: Combustion releases fine particulates (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and other harmful gasses, which invade the lungs and bloodstream.
- Water contamination: Extraction and refinement leak heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and toxic chemicals into groundwater and rivers, affecting local food supply and drinking water.
- Soil and food chain disruption: Residues and waste products accumulate in soil, contaminating crops and livestock, and causing long-term health risks in nearby populations.
- Occupational hazards: Workers at extraction and refining sites face direct exposure to dangerous chemicals and physical hazards.
Combining these exposures with social and economic stressors magnifies the health burden on affected communities.
Fossil Fuels and Climate-Driven Health Crisis
Beyond immediate toxic exposures, fossil fuels are the primary drivers of climate change, creating new layers of health risk:
- Extreme weather: Heatwaves, floods, and hurricanes fueled by fossil fuel emissions damage hospitals, limit supply chains, and increase injury and disease rates.
- Wildfire smoke: Hotter, drier conditions boost wildfire frequency and intensity, causing new spikes in respiratory illnesses and premature deaths, especially among sensitive populations.
These compounded crises are forcing healthcare systems and vulnerable populations to the edge, turning environmental instability into a direct threat to public health.
Multiplier Effects: Economic Costs and Subsidies
The health impacts of fossil fuels also carry an immense economic burden. The total cost includes both direct impacts (medical expenses, lost productivity) and indirect effects (breathable air lost, educational and social disruption).
| Impact Type | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Direct medical costs (hospitalization, treatment) | $ billions annually |
| Loss of productivity (premature death, illness) | $ billions annually |
| Global fossil fuel subsidies | $7 trillion (explicit & implicit) annually |
| Environmental damages (unpriced in market) | Unquantified but immense |
The figure for global subsidies includes explicit support (such as tax breaks and direct payments) and implicit support (unaccounted health, environmental, and social damages). These costs far exceed any market price consumers pay for fossil fuel energy.
Policy Failures and the Imperative for Action
Despite overwhelming evidence of health harms, both climate policy and public health policy have often ignored the multidimensional risks posed by fossil fuels. These oversights prolong environmental injustice and raise the cost of inaction every year.
- Global recognition remains narrow: most climate policies still frame fossil fuels as mainly an environmental issue, neglecting their pressing medical toll.
- Existing regulations don’t address cumulative and lifelong exposure across all pollution sources.
Experts and medical leaders now argue for a direct and urgent transition away from fossil fuels toward clean, affordable, renewable energy for all, making health protection a core priority.
Rapid, Just Transition: Pathways to Healthier Energy
Moving away from fossil fuels is essential not just for preventing climate catastrophe, but for saving millions of lives each year. Immediate benefits are seen when pollution from power plants, vehicles, and industrial boilers are sharply reduced:
- Cleaner air: Lower emissions quickly reduce particulate levels, leading to fewer deaths and hospitalizations.
- Direct health improvement: Children, elderly, and those with existing health issues see rapid gains in wellbeing when exposure is reduced.
- Economic savings: Lower healthcare expenses, improved productivity, and fairer distribution of public health benefits.
The transition must prioritize justice, ensuring that communities most affected by fossil fuel pollution are the first to benefit from new policies and investments in renewable energy. With global fossil fuel production and consumption still on the rise, delay will only deepen the toll and widen inequalities.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How many deaths are caused by fossil fuel-related pollution each year?
A: Estimates range from 4.2 million to over 8 million premature deaths globally, depending on models and data considered; other studies cite 91,000 deaths in the US alone from oil and gas pollution.
Q: Which populations are most at risk from fossil fuel pollution?
A: Marginalized communities, such as Black, Asian, Native American, and Hispanic groups in the US, and populations living near extraction sites or industrial hubs globally, are disproportionately impacted.
Q: What types of diseases are linked to fossil fuel pollution?
A: Key conditions include asthma, childhood leukemia, heart disease, stroke, cancer, birth defects, and mental health disorders, as well as acute complications from extreme weather and occupational exposure.
Q: Why can’t carbon capture alone solve fossil fuel health hazards?
A: Even if carbon emissions are captured, the toxic pollutants from extraction and combustion (heavy metals, particulates) still poison air, water, and soil, harming health independent of climate effects.
Q: What is a “just transition” and why is it crucial?
A: A just transition means rapidly shifting to clean, renewable energy while prioritizing health protection and addressing inequities, ensuring that those most harmed by fossil fuels benefit first from new policies and resources.
Key Takeaways
- Fossil fuels are killing more people than previously thought, endangering health at every stage of life and across the globe.
- The burden falls disproportionately on marginalized and vulnerable populations, compounding existing health disparities.
- The economic and social costs of fossil fuels—once subsidies and health impacts are counted—vastly outweigh their market price.
- Immediate action to accelerate the transition to renewable energy is not just climate policy, but essential …for public health and global justice.
References
- https://climateandhealthalliance.org/press-releases/cross-cutting-report-reveals-devastating-global-health-impacts-of-fossil-fuels-thru-production-life-cycle-across-human-lifespan/
- https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250822/Study-finds-major-health-burden-from-oil-and-gas-pollution-across-the-United-States.aspx
- https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-fuel-air-pollution-linked-to-millions-of-deaths-annually/
- https://www.sei.org/publications/us-pollution-oil-gas-health-impact/
- https://www.sei.org/about-sei/press-room/air-pollution-premature-us-deaths/
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