Fossil-Fuel Pollution is Killing Canadians and Big Oil is Lying About It

This briefing by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) argues for a federal ban on fossil-fuel advertising and 'greenwashing' in Canada. The document links fossil-fuel emissions to significant premature deaths and chronic health issues, whileS citing research that attributes 34,000 annual premature deaths in Canada to such pollution. CAPE advocates for a regulatory framework similar to the 1989 tobacco advertising restrictions to accelerate the energy transition and protect public health.

• Fossil-fuel air pollution is a primary driver of mortality and illness in Canada, with Harvard research estimating it causes 34,000 premature deaths annually. Additionally, 86% of Canadians reside in areas where air pollution levels exceed World Health Organization guidelines.
• Diesel exhaust is identified as carcinogenic to humans, specifically linked to lung cancer, and associated with adverse cardiovascular, reproductive, developmental, and central nervous system effects. In 2015, diesel pollution from vehicles was linked to 710 premature deaths and over 2 million adult respiratory symptom days in Canada.
• Children are disproportionately affected by fossil-fuel pollution; those in homes with gas stoves face up to a 42% increased risk of asthma. Canada has the third highest global rate of new childhood asthma cases resulting from traffic pollution, trailing only Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
• Climate change driven by fossil fuels is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme heat and wildfires in Canada. The 2021 'heat dome' caused 619 heat-related deaths in British Columbia and 66 in Alberta in one week. In Ontario, the health cost of wildfires between June 4-8, 2023, isकाळB is estimated at 1.28 billion.
• The document alleges systemic deception by the oil and gas industry, specifically citing a January 2024 report from Yale University and Environment and Climate Change Canada which found that actual emissions from oilsands production were up to 64 times higher than industry-reported figures.
• The Pathways Alliance, comprising Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Cenovus Energy, ConocoPhillips Canada, Imperial Oil, MEG Energy, and Suncor Energy, is accused of misleading the public by claiming a path to net zero by 2050 while failing to account for over 80% of their emissions.
• CAPE argues that Canada is lagging behind other nations in regulating high-carbon advertising. ExamplesH Examples include France's 2022 ban on fossil-fuel advertising, Norway's 2007 ban on advertising gas-powered vehicles as green, and new EU directives to stop unchecked environmental claims.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (n.d.). Fossil-Fuel Pollution is Killing Canadians and Big Oil is Lying About It. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Backgrounder-Fossil-Fuel-Pollution-is-Killing-Canadians.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Fossil-Fuel Pollution is Killing Canadians and Big Oil is Lying About It. n.d. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Backgrounder-Fossil-Fuel-Pollution-is-Killing-Canadians.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Fossil-Fuel Pollution is Killing Canadians and Big Oil is Lying About It |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Backgrounder-Fossil-Fuel-Pollution-is-Killing-Canadians.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironmentndfossilfuel, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Fossil-Fuel Pollution is Killing Canadians and Big Oil is Lying About It}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Backgrounder-Fossil-Fuel-Pollution-is-Killing-Canadians.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }