Cradle to Grave: The Health Toll of Fossil Fuels and the Imperative for a Just Transition

by Dr Karine Nohr

Whilst practising as a doctor, the imperative to provide evidence for any intervention was always forefront.  So it was with great interest that the report just published by the Global Health and Climate Alliance on the Health Consequences of fossil fuels laid bare, with overwhelming evidence, what many of us already know: that there are severe health impacts from fossil fuels. 

 This ground-breaking report,  “Cradle to Grave: The Health Toll of Fossil Fuels and the Imperative for a Just Transition,” brings together scientific evidence and personal testimonies to reveal the full scale of the health impacts of coal, oil, and gas, while also pointing the way toward a just transition that safeguards people and the planet.

Climateandhealthalliance.org

What harm?

EVERYONE is suffering, NO ONE is exempt. ​​WHO data show that almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits and contains high levels of pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures

Much harm is being done at every stage of the fossil fuel extraction and consumption process. Fossil fuels are harming Nature (of which we are part), our food systems, our health, and are the biggest cause of the climate crisis. 

It’s not just air pollution that is a health problem. Every age group is affected, from the cradle to the grave. Newborn babies already have plastic in their bodies. And those living close to fracking sites have a double incidence of childhood leukaemia.  The elderly are suffering from increased rates of dementia. 

Fossil fuel products enter water and soil systems, causing cancer, heart disease, blood disease, neurological illness and hormonal problems like infertility and premature menopause. These harms that are happening  NOW, in our Lungs, our hearts, our brains and our children. No one is spared.  

Some communities are being more impacted than others, such as those that have a fossil fuel facility in their community. This is more likely to happen in association with poverty. 

Shockingly, areas where this is happening have come to be known as ‘sacrifice zones’. In the East Midlands, these were identified by the Urban Health Council as Sinfin, Derby; City centre and Trent Bridge, Nottingham; East Kirkby, Ashfield, Bradgate Heights and Beaumont Leys, Leicester, Stavely and Norbriggs, Chesterfield. Those lucky enough not living in these zones may think that they are protected, but fossil fuels are affecting the health of everyone. 

Fossil fuels are the cause of a very unhealthy global economic model. We are told that fossil fuels are vital economically, but we have to remember where these messages are coming from. Like the tobacco industry before, the fossil fuels industries spend megabucks on lobbying governments and decision-makers,  and has misinformed the public for many decades, deliberately withholding information about the harm being done. But this Report is unequivocal and the evidence is very clear regarding the impact on health, climate change and human rights. 

Fossil fuels are directly and explicitly subsidised to the tune of  $1.3 trillion by governments and thus taxpayers, and indirectly supported by  $5.7 trillion. These costs should be covered by the fossil fuels industry itself, not by governments and thus by us, the taxpayers.  This money could instead be redirected to the development of clean energy, regenerative agriculture and supporting health services. 

Very recently, the International Court of Justice (ICJ)  affirmed that climate change harms human rights and that states have legal obligations to address it. The ICJ unanimously ruled that states must take action to protect the climate system. The Court clarified that the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is essential for other human rights, such as life, health, and a standard of living. 

The fossil fuels industry has a poor track record;  at their facilities, there is much evidence of human rights violations, labour law abuse, labour exploitation, and promises that are not adhered to. In countries where they have been working for many years, the large fossil fuel corporations have been leaking poisons into the local soils, waters and air, which is causing serious contamination problems for local people. Those same petrochemical companies are not cleaning up after themselves and are leaving behind their mess and their toxic legacy. They must properly and safely decommission, dismantle and remove their infrastructure, such as the mine pits. This is yet another ill-health legacy, and they must be made to take responsibility for the entire process. 

What must be done

We must exit fossil fuels. Protecting health means ending our dependence on fossil fuels. We need to move towards a regenerative economy and away from a fossil fuel economy. 

Instead of having socioeconomic political systems that are all about economic growth, we must start to reorient our goals towards well-being for all, developing a new set of metrics. In a world built around profit, health hasn’t even been part of the equation. It is high time to change this. The current model isn’t working. Surely, well-being for all needs to be the most important performance indicator to aim for? 

It’s not too late to turn the tide. Well-being for all should be the new priority for our Governments, both national and local,  in their policy-making henceforth.