Cradle to Grave: The health harms of fossil fuel dependence and the case for a just phase-out

For over a century, fossil fuels have been at the root of global development, and today account for 80% of global energy consumption. Economic, social and health advances have been built on these valuable assets. Fossil fuels have enabled the heating of homes, transportation to jobs and vital services, powering of hospitals and sanitation systems, and the production and delivery of food. However, these same resources are the leading driver of changes which are already harming people’s
health, communities, and the planet on which we depend for survival. Health is impacted throughout the entire cycle of fossil fuel use — from “cradle to grave” — from extraction, through processing, transport, combustion and waste disposal. These processes drive pollution of air, water and soil as well as climate change.

This short brief examines the impact of fossil fuel extraction, production and combustion on human health, the role subsidies play as supporting fiscal architecture for fossil fuel dependence, and solutions to achieve fossil fuel phase-out across sectors, before identifying key recommendations.