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Wednesday, February 10th, 2021

Study Shows Fossil Fuel Pollution Killed 8.7 Million People in 2018—Almost One-Fifth of Global Deaths

Author:     Jessica Corbett
Source:     Common Dreams
Publication Date:     Tuesday, February 09, 2021
 Link: Study Shows Fossil Fuel Pollution Killed 8.7 Million People in 2018—Almost One-Fifth of Global Deaths
Stephan:   When one thinks about carbon energy one usually focuses on its pollution, climate change, and the effects that has on the earth, and its matrix of consciousness. But what about the effects on humans. This story lays that out, and it will appall you. Citation for the primary research journal paper upon which this article is based: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935121000487
“Our study adds to the mounting evidence that air pollution from ongoing dependence on fossil fuels is detrimental to global health,” said co-author Eloise Marais.
Credit: Marcel Kusch/picture alliance/Getty 

While arguments for rapidly phasing out fossil fuels and shifting to renewable energy are often based on the climate crisis and its devastating impacts, a study published Tuesday bolsters the public health case for clean power sources, revealing that fossil fuel-related air pollution killed an estimated 8.7 million people in 2018 alone, accounting for 18% of total global deaths that year.

“We now have conclusive evidence that fossil fuels kill millions of people every year.”
—Colette Pichon Battle, Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy

The new findings, published in the journal Environmental Research, suggest exposure to particulate matter from fossil fuel emissions is far more deadly that previously thought. An earlier study put the annual death toll for exposure to outdoor airborne particulate matter, or PM2.5, from all sources at about half that.

“The health gains we can achieve from getting off fossil fuels is twice what we thought it was yesterday,” said Dr. Aaron Bernstein, […]

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