The Health Costs of Energy

This briefing from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute outlines how reducing fossil fuel reliance—specifically coal and oil—can lower public health costs by mitigating obesity, pollution, and climate change risks.

• Reducing fossil fuel use provides health benefits through three primary channels: decreasing obesity via community designs that encourage walking and biking, reducing air and water pollution that affects respiratory, cardio-vascular, and neurological systems, and lowering the risks of climate change, such as heat stress and water-borne diseases.
• A National Research Council study of 406 coal-fired power plants found that non-climate damages from air pollution totaled $62 billion in 2005, with 94 percent of those damages attributed to health impacts, including 450,000 serious illnesses and 49,000 deaths. The most polluting 10 percent of these plants caused 43 percent of the damages, while the cleanest 50 percent caused only 12 percent.
• In 2005, health impacts from cars and trucks—which represent 75-80 percent of transportation emissions—were estimated at $56 billion, split between heavy-duty vehicles ($20 billion) and light-duty vehicles ($36 billion).
• Natural gas-fired power plants are less damaging to health than coal plants, with a study of 498 plants estimating aggregate non-climate damages of $740 million in 2005, averaging 0.16 cents per kWh.
• In the United States, obesity now represents a greater health cost and potential area for policy benefit than air quality. Obesity is a risk factor for six of the top 10 causes of death, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2010). The Health Costs of Energy. https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/the-health-costs-of-energy

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. The Health Costs of Energy. 2010. https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/the-health-costs-of-energy.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=The Health Costs of Energy |date=24 May 2010 |url=https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/the-health-costs-of-energy |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2010health, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{The Health Costs of Energy}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2010}, month = may, url = {https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/the-health-costs-of-energy}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }