United Kingdom: A new study has found that air pollution from fossil fuel use is causing the deaths of 5 million people globally each year, surpassing previous estimates of the mortality toll.
The study published in BMJ noted that pollution from the use of fossil fuels in industry, power generation, and transportation accounts for 5.1 million avoidable deaths a year globally.
According to reports, the contribution of fossil fuels equates to 61 percent of a total estimated 8.3 million deaths worldwide due to outdoor air pollution from all sources in 2019.
“Our results suggest that a global phase-out of fossil fuels will have large health benefits, much larger than indicated by most previous studies. These data support increasing the share of clean, renewable energy, advocated by the UN through the sustainable development goals for 2030 and the ambition of climate neutrality for 2050,” the global team of researchers wrote in the study.
The team assessed excess deaths using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study, as well as Nasa satellite-based fine particulate matter and population data, and atmospheric chemistry, aerosol, and relative risk modeling for 2019.
The results show that in 2019, 8.3 million deaths worldwide were attributable to fine particles (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) in ambient air, of which 61 percent (5.1 million) were linked to fossil fuels.
“Major reductions in air pollution emissions, notably through a phase-out of fossil fuels, could have large, positive health outcomes. Results show that the mortality burden attributable to air pollution from fossil fuel use is higher than most previous estimates,” the study remarked.
The research team noted that one reason their model produced larger estimates than most previous studies was that it was based solely on studies of outdoor air pollution. “Given the Paris climate agreement’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050, “the replacement of fossil fuels by clean, renewable energy sources would have tremendous public health and climate co-benefits,” the statement added.
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