Saving lives, delivering value: economic and health co-benefits of a fair oil and gas emissions cap

The briefing assesses the health and economic co-benefits of a 45% emissions cap on Canada's oil and gas sector. It projects that such a cap would avoid approximately 4,860 premature deaths between 2030 and 2040, resulting in an economic benefit of CAD $45.1 billion. The document highlights the link between oil and gas emissions and pollutants like NO2, PM2.5, and ozone, which contribute to respiratory and cardiac diseases. It also criticizes the federal government for failing to conduct a promised independent health study on communities near the oil sands and calls for a national study on the health costs of oil and gas production, similar to research conducted in the U.S.

• Implementing a 45% emissions cap on the oil and gas sector is projected to avoid approximately 4,860 premature deaths in Canada between 2030 and 2040, providing an economic benefit of roughly CAD $45.1 billion.
• In the year 2030 alone, a 45% emissions cap is estimated to prevent 462 premature deaths compared to a no-cap scenario, with an associated economic benefit of CAD 4.3 billion.
• Oil and gas production is the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, representing 28% of total national emissions in 2021, and its absolute emissions grew by 5% from 2005 to 2020.
• The oil and gas industry releases nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and volatile organic compounds that form ozone, all of which are linked to premature mortality and respiratory issues such as asthma and COPD.
• The Canadian government has failed to fulfill a promise made in 2009 to conduct an independent baseline health study for communities near the oil sands, specifically in Fort Chipewyan where higher cancer rates for the biliary tract, soft tissue, and blood/lymphatic system were reported.
• A 2023 U.S. study found that air pollution from oil and gas production caused USD $77 billion in annual health costs, including 7,500 excess deaths and 410,000 asthma attacks in 2016, affecting states even if they produced little oil and gas.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2023). Saving lives, delivering value: economic and health co-benefits of a fair oil and gas emissions cap. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Health-benefits-of-fair-oil-and-gas-emissions-cap-briefer.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Saving lives, delivering value: economic and health co-benefits of a fair oil and gas emissions cap. 2023. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Health-benefits-of-fair-oil-and-gas-emissions-cap-briefer.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Saving lives, delivering value: economic and health co-benefits of a fair oil and gas emissions cap |date=December 2023 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Health-benefits-of-fair-oil-and-gas-emissions-cap-briefer.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2023saving, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Saving lives, delivering value: economic and health co-benefits of a fair oil and gas emissions cap}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Health-benefits-of-fair-oil-and-gas-emissions-cap-briefer.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }