Air pollution deaths attributable to fossil fuels: observational and modelling study

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• dc.contributor.author Lelieveld, Jos
• dc.contributor.author Haines, Andy
• dc.contributor.author Burnett, Richard T.
• dc.contributor.author Tonne, Cathryn
• dc.contributor.author Klingmüller, Klaus
• dc.contributor.author Münzel, Thomas
• dc.contributor.author Pozzer, Andrea
• dc.date.accessioned 2024-06-14T06:42:45Z
• dc.date.available 2024-06-14T06:42:45Z
• dc.date.issued 2023
• dc.description.abstract Objectives: To estimate all cause and cause specific deaths that are attributable to fossil fuel related air pollution and to assess potential health benefits from policies that replace fossil fuels with clean, renewable energy sources. Design: Observational and modelling study. Methods: An updated atmospheric composition model, a newly developed relative risk model, and satellite based data were used to determine exposure to ambient air pollution, estimate all cause and disease specific mortality, and attribute them to emission categories. Data sources: Data from the global burden of disease 2019 study, observational fine particulate matter and population data from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) satellites, and atmospheric chemistry, aerosol, and relative risk modelling for 2019. Results: Globally, all cause excess deaths due to fine particulate and ozone air pollution are estimated at 8.34 million (95% confidence interval 5.63 to 11.19) deaths per year. Most (52%) of the mortality burden is related to cardiometabolic conditions, particularly ischaemic heart disease (30%). Stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease both account for 16% of mortality burden. About 20% of all cause mortality is undefined, with arterial hypertension and neurodegenerative diseases possibly implicated. An estimated 5.13 million (3.63 to 6.32) excess deaths per year globally are attributable to ambient air pollution from fossil fuel use and therefore could potentially be avoided by phasing out fossil fuels. This figure corresponds to 82% of the maximum number of air pollution deaths that could be averted by controlling all anthropogenic emissions. Smaller reductions, rather than a complete phase-out, indicate that the responses are not strongly non-linear. Reductions in emission related to fossil fuels at all levels of air pollution can decrease the number of attributable deaths substantially. Estimates of avoidable excess deaths are markedly higher in this study than most previous studies for these reasons: the new relative risk model has implications for high income (largely fossil fuel intensive) countries and for low and middle income countries where the use of fossil fuels is increasing; this study accounts for all cause mortality in addition to disease specific mortality; and the large reduction in air pollution from a fossil fuel phase-out can greatly reduce exposure. Conclusion: Phasing out fossil fuels is deemed to be an effective intervention to improve health and save lives as part the United Nations' goal of climate neutrality by 2050. Ambient air pollution would no longer be a leading, environmental health risk factor if the use of fossil fuels were superseded by equitable access to clean sources of renewable energy.
• dc.description.sponsorship This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme to “Climate Action To Advance HeaLthY Societies in Europe (CATALYSE)” under Grant Agreement No. 101057131, and “Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East – Climate and Atmospheric Research Centre (EMME-CARE)” under grant agreement no. 856612. AH is the principal investigator of the Pathfinder Initiative on Health in the net-zero economy, funded by the Wellcome Trust (grant number 221284/Z/20/Z) with support from the Oak Foundation (grant number OFIL-20-093). T.M. is PI of the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Rhine-Main.
• dc.format.mimetype application/pdf
• dc.identifier.citation Lelieveld J, Haines A, Burnett R, Tonne C, Klingmüller K, Münzel T, et al. Air pollution deaths attributable to fossil fuels: observational and modelling study. BMJ. 2023 Nov 29;383:e077784. DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-077784
• dc.identifier.doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-077784
• dc.identifier.issn 0959-8138
• dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10230/60465
• dc.language.iso eng
• dc.publisher BMJ Publishing Group
• dc.relation.ispartof BMJ. 2023 Nov 29;383:e077784
• dc.relation.projectID info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/856612
• dc.rights This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
• dc.rights.accessRights info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
• dc.rights.uri http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• dc.subject.other Combustibles fòssils
• dc.subject.other Aire--Contaminació
• dc.subject.other Pulmons--Malalties obstructives
• dc.title Air pollution deaths attributable to fossil fuels: observational and modelling study
• dc.type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
• dc.type.version info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion