Global Report Links Fossil Fuel Projects to Health Risks for Two Billion People
LONDON – A new report reveals that fossil fuel projects worldwide pose notable health risks to an estimated two billion people, with Indigenous communities disproportionately affected. The findings highlight a pattern of environmental injustice and racism in the placement of oil, gas, and coal infrastructure.
The report indicates that one in six fossil fuel sites is located on Indigenous territories, despite Indigenous peoples comprising onyl 5% of the global population. this exposure contributes to life-shortening health impacts and exacerbates existing inequalities.
“We’re experiencing intergenerational battle fatigue … We physically won’t survive [this]. We were never the instigators but we have taken the brunt of all the violence,” stated Wet’suwet’en land defender Tsakë ze’ Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham), referencing the planned construction of new compressors for a fossil gas pipeline on Wet’suwet’en lands in British Columbia, Canada. “When we rise up to defend the Yin’tah [Wet’suwet’en territory] we are criminalized.”
Beyond health impacts,the expansion of fossil fuels is linked to land grabs,cultural disruption,community division,and economic hardship. Opposition to these projects frequently results in violence, online threats, and legal challenges against community leaders.
Bruno Alves de Vega, an urban artisanal fisher from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, expressed this struggle, stating, “We are not after money; we only want what is ours. We just want to fish in Guanabara Bay, it’s our right. And they are taking our rights.”
The report underscores the broad health consequences of fossil fuel exposure, especially for vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, and pregnant people, potentially impacting future generations. This aligns with recent calls from the UN special rapporteur on climate change for criminal penalties against climate disinformation and a complete ban on fossil fuel industry lobbying and advertising.
Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, emphasized the systemic nature of the problem, stating, “The climate crisis is a manifestation and catalyst of deep-rooted injustices. The age of fossil fuels must end now.”
