Private Equity, Public Harm

The report 'Private Equity, Public Harm' estimates that private equity-backed fossil fuel infrastructure in the U.S. generates annual health costs between $11.3 billion and $15.1 billion, causing approximately 1,000 premature deaths and 1,500 emergency room visits yearly. Using the EPA's COBRA tool, the analysis identifies significant impacts from pollutants such as SO₂, NOₓ, VOCs, and PM2.5, noting that several individual private equity firms are responsible for over $1 billion in annual health impacts. The document calls for mandatory disclosures of fossil fuel exposure and emissions, a complete transition to a fossil-free portfolio by 2030, and the integration of environmental justice mechanisms to protect impacted communities.

• Private equity-backed fossil fuel infrastructure in the United States is estimated to cause annual economic health costs ranging from $11.3 billion to $15.1 billion.
• Air pollution from these specific facilities results in approximately 1,000 premature deaths and 1,500 emergency room visits annually, while causing the loss of over 27,000 work days and more than 250,000 school days per year.
• The analysis identifies non-greenhouse gas pollutants—specifically sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5)—as drivers of cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurodegenerative diseases.
• Health and monetary impacts have been linked to specific firms, with multiple private equity firms causing more than $1 billion in health impacts annually.
• The report proposes a set of standards for the private equity industry, including the disclosure of all fossil fuel infrastructure and emissions, the cessation of fossil fuel expansion to achieve a fossil-free portfolio by 2030, and the implementation of just transition programs for impacted workers and communities.

APA

Hurley, A. (2025). Private Equity, Public Harm. Private Equity Climate Risks. https://peclimaterisks.org/health-impact-report/

Chicago

Hurley, Alex. Private Equity, Public Harm. Private Equity Climate Risks, 2025. https://peclimaterisks.org/health-impact-report/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hurley |first1=Alex |title=Private Equity, Public Harm |publisher=Private Equity Climate Risks |date=16 June 2025 |url=https://peclimaterisks.org/health-impact-report/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hurley2025private, author = {Hurley, Alex}, title = {{Private Equity, Public Harm}}, institution = {Private Equity Climate Risks}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://peclimaterisks.org/health-impact-report/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }