TRANSITIONING AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS TO CURB AIR POLLUTION HEALTH HARMS

The document details the severe health impacts of the fossil fuel lifecycle, emphasizing that air pollution linked to fossil fuels causes over 80% of pollution-related deaths. It highlights the disproportionate burden on vulnerable groups—including children, women, the elderly, and racialized communities—and advocates for a managed phase-out of oil, gas, and coal to save millions of lives and reduce healthcare costs. The brief provides case studies from Argentina, India, the USA, and China to illustrate these harms and the benefits of decommissioning coal plants. It concludes with specific policy recommendations for city and national governments to transition toward renewable energy and protect public health.

• Fossil fuels are a primary driver of global air pollution, which is responsible for more than 20% of annual deaths, with over 80% of these deaths directly linked to fossil fuels. In 2018, fossil fuel-linked air pollution caused an estimated 8.7 million premature deaths, 4 million new childhood asthma cases, and 2 million preterm births.
• Health harms occur across the entire fossil fuel lifecycle: extraction increases risks of respiratory diseases and cancers; refining and processing affect 'fenceline communities' with higher rates of kidney disease and reproductive issues; combustion causes cardiovascular diseases; and toxic waste disposal releases heavy metals that persist in the body for decades.
• Air pollution disproportionately affects vulnerable populations. Children are more susceptible due to faster breathing and narrower airways. Women face higher exposure through gendered roles in cooking and heating with wood and coal in low- and middle-income countries. The elderly face higher risks of dementia and other psychological declines due to long-term exposure.
• Systemic racism and socioeconomic inequality create 'racial sacrifice zones' where power plants and toxic disposal sites are overwhelmingly located near people of colour and Indigenous communities, externalizing pollution costs onto these groups.
• Urban areas are severely impacted, with 97% of cities in low- and middle-income countries experiencing unsafe air pollution levels. In these cities, transportation accounts for approximately 50% of emissions.
• Government subsidies for fossil fuels reached $7 trillion in 2022, much of which represents unpaid environmental and health costs. Redirecting these funds could support the $371 billion annually needed to expand health coverage for Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
• Phasing out fossil fuels can have immediate positive health outcomes, as seen in China, where the closure of approximately 150 large coal plants since 2000 saved an estimated 46,000 children under five in the first five years of the policy.

APA

Snaije, L., & Ruback, R. (2025). TRANSITIONING AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS TO CURB AIR POLLUTION HEALTH HARMS. Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/s/Transitioning-Away-from-Fossil-Fuels-to-Curb-Air-Pollution-Health-Harms.pdf

Chicago

Snaije, Lucas, and Rachel Ruback. TRANSITIONING AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS TO CURB AIR POLLUTION HEALTH HARMS. Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, 2025. https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/s/Transitioning-Away-from-Fossil-Fuels-to-Curb-Air-Pollution-Health-Harms.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Snaije |first1=Lucas |last2=Ruback |first2=Rachel |title=TRANSITIONING AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS TO CURB AIR POLLUTION HEALTH HARMS |publisher=Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative |date=March 2025 |url=https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/s/Transitioning-Away-from-Fossil-Fuels-to-Curb-Air-Pollution-Health-Harms.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{snaije2025transitioning, author = {Snaije, Lucas and Ruback, Rachel}, title = {{TRANSITIONING AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS TO CURB AIR POLLUTION HEALTH HARMS}}, institution = {Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/s/Transitioning-Away-from-Fossil-Fuels-to-Curb-Air-Pollution-Health-Harms.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }