British Columbians are dying from fossil fuel pollution: Will BC’s Attorney General take on Big Oil?

The document argues that the British Columbia government should apply its strategy of recovering healthcare costs from harmful product manufacturers—such as those in the tobacco and opioid industries—to the fossil fuel sector. It highlights significant health and financial burdens on BC's healthcare system, including costs from the 2021 heat dome, wildfire smoke, and the spread of infectious diseases due to warming temperatures. The authors contend that fossil fuel companies have profited while engaging in misinformation, and they call for a ban on fossil fuel advertising and the recovery of expenses from the oil and gas industry.

• The authors argue that the BC government should extend its practice of suing manufacturers of health-harming products—citing examples like tobacco, opioids, and PFAS—to include fossil fuel companies to recover healthcare expenses.
• Climate-related health events in British Columbia have caused substantial casualties and financial costs, specifically the 2021 heat dome which resulted in over 600 deaths, more than 5,000 serious injuries, and estimated healthcare costs exceeding $12 million.
• Wildfire smoke is identified as a recurring cause of hospitalization for respiratory and heart conditions in BC; nationally, the Government of Canada estimated annual medical costs from wildfire smoke between 2013 and 2018 ranged from $410 million to $1.8 billion for short-term effects and $4.3 billion to $19 billion for long-term effects.
• Local fossil fuel extraction and pollution contribute to severe health outcomes, including higher rates of cancer, lung disease, and adverse pregnancy outcomes, with Harvard research indicating that fossil fuel air pollution causes 34,000 premature deaths annually in Canada.
• Climate emergencies have forced expensive infrastructure disruptions, such as the 2017 wildfires which cost almost $3 million to evacuate 880 patients and 700 staff from 19 sites managed by BC’s Interior Health Authority.

APA

CAPE (2025). British Columbians are dying from fossil fuel pollution: Will BC’s Attorney General take on Big Oil? Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/british-columbians-are-dying-from-fossil-fuel-pollution-will-bcs-attorney-general-take-on-big-oil/

Chicago

CAPE. British Columbians are dying from fossil fuel pollution: Will BC’s Attorney General take on Big Oil? Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2025. https://cape.ca/british-columbians-are-dying-from-fossil-fuel-pollution-will-bcs-attorney-general-take-on-big-oil/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=CAPE |title=British Columbians are dying from fossil fuel pollution: Will BC’s Attorney General take on Big Oil? |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=7 April 2025 |url=https://cape.ca/british-columbians-are-dying-from-fossil-fuel-pollution-will-bcs-attorney-general-take-on-big-oil/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cape2025british, author = {CAPE}, title = {{British Columbians are dying from fossil fuel pollution: Will BC’s Attorney General take on Big Oil?}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://cape.ca/british-columbians-are-dying-from-fossil-fuel-pollution-will-bcs-attorney-general-take-on-big-oil/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }