Air pollution causes 8 million deaths each year. In this context, 6 out of 10 deaths can be directly attributed to fossil fuels. These figures emerge from a study in the British Medical Journal by a team of scientists.
In particular, data on air pollution by fine particulate matter and ozone were used, cross-referenced with new risk models. The results determined that approximately 5.13 million deaths per year out of the total 8.34 million caused by poor air quality are due to the fine particulate matter fractions generated by the combustion of oil, gas and coal.
Such deaths could be avoided by eliminating fossil fuels. Controlling anthropogenic emissions could cut 82% of air pollution deaths.