A stark new report reveals that the entire process involving planet-heating fossil fuels—from their initial extraction to their transportation and eventual burning—causes immense and lasting damage to human health. This impact, according to the findings, doesn’t wait until adulthood; it begins even before birth and tragically continues throughout an individual’s entire life.
Pollution emanating from fossil fuels like oil, coal, and gas has been unequivocally linked to a wide spectrum of severe health issues. These include complications during pregnancy, such as increased rates of miscarriages and premature births, as well as a heightened risk of chronic diseases like asthma, various forms of cancer (including leukemia), strokes, and heart disease.
“Fossil fuels represent a direct attack on human health, inflicting harm at every stage of their lifecycle and every stage of our lives, from conception to old age,” emphasized Shweta Narayan, the lead author of this pivotal report from the Global Climate and Health Alliance.
The alliance, which unites over 200 organizations representing a staggering 46 million health workers globally, underscores that this document offers the first truly comprehensive worldwide overview of how fossil fuels detrimentally affect health across multiple generations.
For instance, peer-reviewed research highlighted in the report shows that individuals residing near coal mines or fracking sites experience higher rates of premature births, miscarriages, and other pregnancy-related complications. In childhood, air pollution from fossil fuels is associated with elevated instances of asthma and certain cancers, such as leukemia.
In later life, consistent exposure to air pollution has been found to dramatically increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, certain forms of dementia, and significantly contribute to early mortality.
The Poorest Communities Suffer Most
Beyond the direct health repercussions of extracting and burning fossil fuels, their transportation also presents grave dangers. Incidents like gas pipelines leaking into vital water systems or massive oil spills can have devastating consequences, posing both immediate and long-term threats to public health.
Even after fossil fuels are consumed, their legacy of harm persists. Toxic chemicals such as lead, mercury, and persistent “forever chemicals” (PFAS) infiltrate our soil, water, and food chains, remaining in the environment and posing continuous health hazards.
The health crisis is further compounded by extreme weather events, which are becoming more frequent and intense due to fossil fuel-driven global warming. Hurricanes, for example, can completely incapacitate essential health facilities, while dense smoke from devastating bushfires can trigger widespread and severe respiratory problems.
Alarmingly, the disproportionate burden of these health crises often falls upon communities that are already disadvantaged and marginalized, particularly in developing nations.
Neha Mahant, a local health worker, vividly described the situation in Korba, a central Indian district: “Children and the elderly living near coal mines here suffer terribly from asthma, bronchitis, and TB. Families grapple with birth defects, chronic skin infections, and stomach illnesses from contaminated water.” She added a powerful statement: “Coal doesn’t just generate electricity—it generates suffering.”
Urgent Call to Action: Ban Fossil Fuel Lobbying
“The era of fossil fuels has poisoned our air, fractured public health, and eroded human dignity,” declared Christiana Figueres, former head of UN Climate Change, in a statement accompanying the report. She issued an urgent plea for a swift and decisive transition to clean, renewable energy sources.
Jeni Miller, Executive Director of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, pressed governments to commit to halting all new oil, gas, and coal projects at the upcoming COP30 UN climate conference scheduled for November in Brazil.
“Just as governments once effectively curbed the egregious influence of the tobacco industry, they must now take decisive action to ban fossil fuel lobbying and stop the spread of dangerous disinformation,” Miller asserted.
The alliance further urged governments to immediately cease subsidizing fossil fuels. These subsidies amounted to a staggering $7 trillion in 2022, representing more than seven percent of the global GDP, according to data from the International Monetary Fund.
Despite numerous, increasingly urgent warnings about the catastrophic impacts of human-caused climate change, the world regrettably broke yet another record last year for carbon dioxide emissions derived from fossil fuels.