Air pollution from fossil fuels causes nearly 1 in 5 deaths worldwide each year

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The combustion of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum produces greenhouse gases that trap solar radiation in the atmosphere and cause climate change. But it also releases tiny toxic particles called PM2.5. Small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs, these particles can worsen respiratory conditions like asthma and lead to lung cancer, coronary heart disease, strokes and premature death.
Research has also found a link between higher levels of long-term pollution and more deaths from Covid-19.

In a study published in the journal Environmental Research of Tuesday, researchers at Harvard University, in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, the University of Leicester and University College London, found that exposure to particles from of fossil fuel emissions accounted for 18% of the total. deaths worldwide – nearly one in five – in 2018.

The figure is much higher than previously thought. As of 2019, scientists estimated that 4.2 million people die each year from airborne particulate pollution, a figure that included those who died due to dust pollution and smoke from forest fires and farm fires.

The new study shows that in 2018, an estimated 8.7 million deaths were linked to fossil fuel emissions alone.

Eloise Marais, associate professor of physical geography at UCL and co-author of the study, said the research adds to “growing evidence” that air pollution from fossil fuels is damaging global health .

“We cannot in good conscience continue to rely on fossil fuels when we know there are such dire health effects and viable and cleaner alternatives,” she said in a statement.

Scientists used a global 3D model of atmospheric chemistry developed at Harvard to get a better picture of pollution on a more local level.

Traditionally, satellite and surface observations have been used to estimate global annual average concentrations of PM2.5 particles in the air. Using the 3D model, scientists were able to divide the globe into a grid with boxes as small as 50 kilometers by 60 kilometers (31 miles by 37 miles) and examine the pollution levels in each box individually.

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This allowed them to assess the impact of pollution in places where people live and to distinguish between different sources of pollution.

They found that China, India, parts of the eastern United States, Europe and Southeast Asia were the most affected. According to the data, up to 30.7% of deaths in East Asia, 16.8% in Europe and 13.1% in the United States can be attributed to pollution from fossil fuels.

To model the pollution, the researchers used real emissions and meteorological data, mainly from 2012. The year was chosen to eliminate the influence of the El Niño phenomenon, which can worsen or improve pollution depending on the region. They then updated the data to reflect a 44% drop in fossil fuel pollution in China between 2012 and 2018.

Researchers estimate that China’s decision to reduce its fossil fuel emissions saved 2.4 million lives globally, including 1.5 million in China.

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