Alarming Study Links 18% Of Global Deaths To Fossil Fuel Use

More than 8 million people died in 2018 from fossil fuel pollution, significantly higher than previous research suggested, according to new research from Harvard University, in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, the University of Leicester, and University College London. The study was published in the journal Environmental Research.

The burning of fossil fuels was responsible for 8.7 million deaths globally in 2018, or 18% of deaths. This is double the most recent estimate from the most recent Global Burden of Disease Study, the largest and most comprehensive study on the causes of global mortality, which put the number at 4.2 million.