Impact Of Fossil Fuel Combustion Research Articles

S20: A world less dependent on fossil fuels – scientific evidence and corporate influence. An ISEE Policy Committee Symposium, Room 315, Floor 3, August 26, 2019, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Background: While numerous studies, such as the Global Burden of Disease, have reported the health impacts of PM2.5 exposure worldwide, these have not focused on the fossil fuel contribution to those PM2.5 concentrations, or used the most recent dose-response curves. Methods: Global PM2.5 exposure levels in 2012, with and without fossil fuels were derived from the chemical transport model GEOS-Chem. Relative risks of mortality were modeled using functions previously published in a meta-analysis of association between long-term exposure to air pollutants and mortality, incorporating nonlinearity in the concentration-response. Results: We estimate a global total of 6.81 million premature deaths annually attributable to the fossil-fuel component of PM2.5. The greatest mortality impact is estimated over regions with substantial fossil fuel related PM2.5 concentrations, notably parts of the eastern US, Europe, China, India and Southeast Asia. Notably, the steeper slope at lower concentrations results in larger estimates than previously in Europe and North-America, and the slower drop-off in slope at higher concentrations results in larger estimates in Asia. Conclusions: The fossil fuel industry has launched a full scale attack on the science behind limits for PM2.5 pollution to obscure its role in global health.

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