Burning Fossil fuels causes more deaths than tobacco

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Doctors report that coal, oil and gas are health hazards.

Air pollution from burning fossil fuels kills more Australians than alcohol, gambling and car crashes combined. And, when you add the impacts of global warming, fossil fuels are our greatest health threat.

Once you’ve filled in the petition to the Australian government, tell your local government to ban fossil fuel advertising and sponsorships too.

Visit fossiladban.org

Coal, oil and gas drives air pollution, which kills more people globally than smoking.

Fossil fuel pollution kills more Australians than car crashes, alcohol and gambling combined

Climate pollution leads to risky pregnancies and learning problems

Gas in the home makes children’s asthma 30% worse

Twice as many Australians die in heat waves than car crashes

Climate anxiety is fuelling the youth mental health crisis

Fossil fuels are becoming our most deadly advertised products

Download the full report

FAQ’S

How do fossil fuels cause more deaths than tobacco?

Coal, oil and gas pose significant threats to our health through air pollution and as the primary drivers of global heating. Fossil fuels contribute to biodiversity loss and are the main source of plastics which are clogging our arteries as well as our oceans.

As the primary drivers of climate change, fossil fuels are responsible for the climate health emergency. Doctors and other health professionals who are on the frontline of care are seeing the escalating impacts in their clinics and in emergency departments.

Climate change harms health in multiple ways.

It is increasing the incidence and severity of heat and heatwaves, droughts, bushfires and bushfire smoke, storms, and other extreme weather events.
It is changing the patterns of infectious diseases.
It is adding to the mental health burden across the globe, especially in our young people.
It is contributing to biodiversity loss, increasing our risk of zoonotic diseases.
It is causing rising sea levels, placing coastal communities at risk.
It is threatening our food and water security.

The combustion of fossil fuels releases dangerous air pollution. The State of Global Air Report 2024 found that 8.1 million people died in 2021 from air pollution. This makes air pollution the second largest risk factor for death after high blood pressure, and followed by smoking. Other sources estimate that 8.34 million to 10.2 million people die prematurely from fossil fuel air pollution every year and the WHO states that 99% of the planet breathes air that exceeds safety guidelines.

Fossil fuels are the source material for plastics, causing environmental pollution and harming health through hormonal disruption and increasing our risk of cardiovascular disease.

When we combine the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, plastics and air pollution, it is obvious that fossil fuels are the most deadly threat we all face.

What are the main recommendations of the report?

We must quit fossil fuels to protect health.

Similar to addressing the health impacts of tobacco by first quitting smoking, to address the health impacts of fossil fuels we must first quit coal, oil and gas.

To protect the health of the Australian people, we must:

ban all new fossil fuel projects and accelerate investment in renewables
stop financial subsidies to fossil fuel industries and redirect them to carbon-free initiatives
ban fossil fuel advertising and industry sponsorship, just like we did with smoking
ban single-use and non-recyclable plastics and switch to reusable and/or compostable products
protect biodiversity and ban native forest logging
prepare healthcare and the wider community for what we can no longer avoid.

Why ban fossil fuel advertising and sponsorships?

Stopping fossil fuels begins with stopping fossil fuel advertising.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, agrees, saying,

“I urge every country to ban advertising from fossil fuel companies. And I urge news media and tech companies to stop taking fossil fuel advertising.”

Promotion of coal, oil and gas:

increases demand for highly damaging products
falsely portrays fossil fuels as being climate-friendly
tarnishes our treasured cultural and sporting groups
maintains social licence for polluting industries
helps delay climate action

The IPCC (ARG WG3) confirmed that marketing and lobbying by coal, oil and gas corporations is delaying emissions reduction and has largely set the public agenda about climate change in Australia.

Advertising and marketing works, which is why the world’s biggest corporations invest so much and why tobacco ads and sponsorships are banned.

Marketing companies have sophisticated targeting capabilities, and know everything from your favourite fashion labels to your hobbies and political leanings. This knowledge, marketing testing and psychology is used to gain support for polluting industries and products.

For example, in 2020 JWS Research won a marketing award for improving the Australian public’s view of mining.

Academic evidence on tobacco advertising suggests that advertisers are major engineers of cultural change. The US Department of Health found that: “The total weight of evidence—from multiple types of studies, conducted by investigators from different disciplines, and using data from many countries—demonstrates a causal relationship between tobacco advertising and promotion and increased tobacco use.”

Is it realistic to stop new fossil fuel projects?

The short answer is yes. We do not need any new fossil fuel projects to provide power to Australia’s homes and businesses.

Anything that is powered by electricity can have that power sourced by renewable clean energy sources, like solar and wind. These are the cheapest source of newly built electricity and governments should be investing in them rather than the more costly and unhealthy coal, oil and gas.

This is the most economically responsible course of action for the Australian taxpayer, and as our “Fossil fuels are a Health Hazard” report demonstrates, it is the most healthy option too.

Aren’t fossil fuels good for the economy?

Despite being one of the world’s largest exporters of coal and LNG, those sectors are tiny employers. In 2021-22 only 34,300 Australians were employed in coal mining, 17,000 were involved in gas and only 6,630 were employed in fossil fuel electricity generation.

In 2022-23 fossil fuel companies received over $11bn in government subsidies and tax breaks while many paid no tax.

Relying on coal, gas and resources has resulted in a chronic lack of diversification in our economy which threatens our future prosperity.

In addition, relying on imported petroleum is a threat to our economic security.

What will you do with my email address?

You may be sent emails from Doctors for the Environment and Comms Declare. You can unsubscribe at any time.

How do I contact you?

Please email us at hello@commsdeclare.org or contact DEA at admin@dea.org.au

Who else is stopping fossil fuel ads?

In Australia, 16 councils have voted to restrict fossil fuel advertising, including the City of Sydney.

There are dozens more cities that are restricting high emissions advertising overseas including Stockholm, Amsterdam and Edinburgh plus the entire country of France.

Who is behind this campaign?

This campaign is being run by Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) and Comms Declare.

DEA is the leading medical voice on health and climate.

We are medical doctors and students who understand that human health requires a healthy planet, with an environment that is free of pollution, rich in biodiversity, and able to provide for current and future generations sustainably.

We call for climate action in recognition of the health harms caused by global heating and climate change.

We work to protect biodiversity, knowing that the health of humans is inextricably linked with the health of our natural world.

We advocate for a sustainable healthcare system to reduce the health sector's carbon footprint.

Fundamentally, DEA recognises that we need a healthy planet to have healthy people.

Comms Declare represents more than 100 organisations and hundreds more communications professionals who have declared they will not promote:

● the growth of fossil fuels

● high greenhouse gas pollution as ‘business as usual’

● deception, distraction or spin around science or climate actions.

Comms Declare encourages agencies to work for the good of the climate, in recognition that Australia is a major exporter of fossil fuels. It runs the annual F-list awards and the Fossil Ad Ban campaign.