Du berceau à la tombe: le fardeau sanitaire des combustibles fossiles et l’impératif d’une transition juste

The report details how fossil fuel production and use cause systemic health damage across all human life stages and geographic regions, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. It maps these impacts from site preparation and extraction to combustion and waste disposal, highlighting the role of pollutants like PM2.5, benzene, and heavy metals. The document also examines the societal harms of the industry, including forced displacements, human rights violations, and political corruption. It concludes by advocating for a 'just transition' that prioritizes public health, eliminates fossil fuel subsidies, and holds polluters accountable through the 'polluter-pays' principle.

• Fossil fuel pollution impacts human health at every stage of life, from fetal development to old age. Prenatal exposure is linked to premature births, miscarriages, and congenital malformations, while children are particularly vulnerable to asthma and neurodevelopmental issues. In older adults, pollution exacerbates chronic diseases and increases the risk of dementia and Parkinson's disease.
• Every phase of the fossil fuel life cycle introduces harmful pollutants. Extraction releases benzene, heavy metals, and radioactive materials; refining emits carcinogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs); combustion produces fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides; and post-combustion waste, such as coal ash, continues to expose communities to toxins for decades.
• The health burdens of fossil fuels are distributed unequally, with marginalized groups—including Indigenous peoples, racial minorities, and low-income populations—living disproportionately in 'sacrifice zones' near polluting infrastructure with limited access to healthcare.
• Fossil fuel operations cause broad societal harms, including forced displacements, loss of traditional livelihoods, and increased rates of substance abuse and domestic violence in affected communities. In the last decade, 1,910 people have been killed for opposing fossil fuel projects.
• The industry employs systemic corruption, lobbying, and disinformation to obstruct climate action. This includes 'greenwashing' and the use of 'astroturfing' to create fake grassroots support for fossil fuels, as well as disproportionate influence over international climate negotiations (COPs).
• Global fossil fuel subsidies reached approximately 7 trillion USD in 2022, including 5.7 trillion USD in implicit subsidies representing unaccounted societal costs like air pollution and climate damage. Redirecting these funds to clean energy could prevent millions of premature deaths.
• Climate change, driven by fossil fuels, creates 'cascading risks' where extreme weather events damage fossil fuel infrastructure, leading to further toxic releases. For example, hurricanes in the US Gulf Coast and typhoons in the Philippines have caused massive oil spills and chemical leaks from refineries and depots.
• The petrochemical industry is pivoting toward plastic production as a 'Plan B' to maintain profit margins. Plastic production is expected to triple by 2060, potentially consuming 25-31% of the remaining global carbon budget and introducing thousands of toxic chemicals into the human body.
• A just transition must go beyond labor protections to include health guarantees, environmental remediation, and the 'polluter-pays' principle, ensuring that the companies responsible for pollution bear the financial burden of healthcare and cleanup.
• The report recommends an immediate end to all new fossil fuel exploration and development to meet the 1.5°C Paris Agreement goal, as 60% of oil and gas and 90% of coal must remain in the ground.

APA

Global Climate and Health Alliance (n.d.). Du berceau à la tombe: le fardeau sanitaire des combustibles fossiles et l’impératif d’une transition juste. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/C2G-Report-LOW-RES-French-1.pdf

Chicago

Global Climate and Health Alliance. Du berceau à la tombe: le fardeau sanitaire des combustibles fossiles et l’impératif d’une transition juste. n.d. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/C2G-Report-LOW-RES-French-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Climate and Health Alliance |title=Du berceau à la tombe: le fardeau sanitaire des combustibles fossiles et l’impératif d’une transition juste |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/C2G-Report-LOW-RES-French-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalclimateandhealthalliancendberceau, author = {{Global Climate and Health Alliance}}, title = {{Du berceau à la tombe: le fardeau sanitaire des combustibles fossiles et l’impératif d’une transition juste}}, institution = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/C2G-Report-LOW-RES-French-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }