There’s one thing that kills more people *every year* than all covid deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, and it’s not on this list. It’s air pollution from fossil fuels. - ThreadSky

katharinehayhoe.com • 116 days ago

There’s one thing that kills more people *every year* than all covid deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, and it’s not on this list.

It’s air pollution from fossil fuels.

Reposted from Timothy Burke

I have now watched the RFK Jr. video and here is a list of some of the things he says he'll ban if Trump is elected:

Mountain Dew
Crest toothpaste
Children's Tylenol
Welch's Fruit Snacks
Grape juice
Vaseline
Children's sunscreen
Mayonnaise
Gatorade

Comments

vir-innominatum.bsky.social•116 days ago

That's why if so-called pro-lifers were actually pro-life, they'd support stricter regulation of pollution, not merely be anti-abortion.

katharinehayhoe.com•116 days ago

vir-innominatum.bsky.social•116 days ago

Glad to see that at least some of them get it.

aussiesewerrat.bsky.social•116 days ago

Around 5 million extra deaths are caused by fossil fuels per year world wide. Horrifying statistic.

revjss.bsky.social•116 days ago

I somehow doubt the Methodists would allow a banning of grape juice. 😉

johnmashey.bsky.social•116 days ago

100% agree., as per old thread.
Think of air pollution as akin to secondhand cigarette smoke. As per study cited in PM5, dos-response relationship is nonlinear, much damage caused by first bit of pollution.
Human lungs didn’t evolve for this.
https://x.com/johnmashey/status/1421982713762836483

tapirtrouble.bsky.social•116 days ago

Sometimes things that have been around for a long time just kind of fade into the background. There are people in Ontario who are upset about windmills, but photochemical smog from car exhaust, and the particulates from coal-fired power plants (back when Nanticoke was operating), seemed normal.

tapirtrouble.bsky.social•116 days ago

Wind farms are relatively new, while fossil fuels were around before everyone who is alive now was born. So coal and gasoline seem familiar, and "safe". It took a long time to get rid of things like lead and asbestos, too.

rtmlepage.bsky.social•116 days ago

Oh, this one is closer than I thought. The estimate is some 15 million covid caused deaths since 2023, so in the 5 million per year range, close to fossil fuel carnage.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05522-2

katharinehayhoe.com•116 days ago

I was going off the official WHO count which is 7M https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/deaths?n=o and this Harvard study which puts air pollution deaths at 8M per year https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/pollution-from-fossil-fuel-combustion-deadlier-than-previously-thought/ but yes - even with different sources the numbers are very close (and both are likely underestimated)

rtmlepage.bsky.social•116 days ago

Both are also preventable!

ezrijadzia.bsky.social•116 days ago

They are also related. Air pollution is going to cause chronic health conditions that make folks more vulnerable to severe disease with Covid :(

katharinehayhoe.com•116 days ago

Indeed!
Correlations identified in China, Europe, US … and then you add in wildfire smoke and it gets even worse.

rtmlepage.bsky.social•116 days ago

I believe that wildfire smoke is currently the #1 climate attributable killer in Canada. Something in the 2-5k/year range. Overheating deaths are in the 200-800, depending on year. Merv-13 or better filters, air tight buildings, and balanced ventilation systems help both tremendously.

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