The Health Toll of Fossil Fuels and the Imperative for a Just Transition

This executive summary from the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) details the comprehensive health impacts of the fossil fuel lifecycle—from extraction to disposal—and advocates for a rapid, just transition to renewable energy to protect global public health and environmental stability.

• Fossil fuel pollution causes health harms across all stages of human life, with particular vulnerability in children and older adults. Prenatal exposure is linked to miscarriage, preterm birth, and congenital abnormalities, while children face risks due to developing organs and faster breathing rates. General impacts include increased risks of childhood cancer, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disorders.
• Every phase of the fossil fuel lifecycle introduces specific pollutants and health risks: extraction releases heavy metals and radioactive materials; refining emits carcinogens like benzene and toluene; transport and storage risk chemical leaks; combustion produces PM2.5 and nitrogen oxides; and post-combustion waste like coal ash exposes communities to toxins.
• The health impacts of fossil fuels are systemic and persistent, as pollutants like mercury, lead, and arsenic bioaccumulate in soil, water, and food chains. This results in chronic health issues, such as kidney dysfunction and cognitive impairment, that can endure for decades or centuries after industrial operations have ceased.
• Fossil fuel harms are unjustly distributed, disproportionately affecting marginalized groups, including Indigenous peoples, racial minorities, and low-income populations. These groups often live in 'sacrifice zones' near polluting infrastructure and face systemic barriers to healthcare and safe environments.
• Fossil fuel operations cause broad societal damage beyond direct pollution, including the displacement of Indigenous communities, disruption of traditional livelihoods, and increased rates of human trafficking, violence, and substance abuse in extraction zones.
• There is a significant economic cost to fossil fuel dependence; in 2022, global subsidies reached an estimated US$7 trillion. This includes US$1.3 trillion in explicit subsidies and US$5.7 trillion in implicit subsidies representing unpriced societal costs like air pollution and climate change.
• The document argues that current climate and health policies have ignored the multidimensional harms of fossil fuels, and that carbon capture or emission offsets are insufficient to address toxic contamination or the lasting legacies of exposure.

APA

Global Climate and Health Alliance (n.d.). The Health Toll of Fossil Fuels and the Imperative for a Just Transition. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/C2G-ENG_EXE-SUMMARY-2.pdf

Chicago

Global Climate and Health Alliance. The Health Toll of Fossil Fuels and the Imperative for a Just Transition. n.d. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/C2G-ENG_EXE-SUMMARY-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Climate and Health Alliance |title=The Health Toll of Fossil Fuels and the Imperative for a Just Transition |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/C2G-ENG_EXE-SUMMARY-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalclimateandhealthalliancendhealth, author = {{Global Climate and Health Alliance}}, title = {{The Health Toll of Fossil Fuels and the Imperative for a Just Transition}}, institution = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/C2G-ENG_EXE-SUMMARY-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }