As a founding member of the EU Healthy Air Coalition (EUHAC), the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) has endorsed the coalition’s joint statement calling on EU policymakers to accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels.
Climate change and air pollution are the greatest environmental threats to health in Europe, with fossil fuel combustion driving both crises. Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world, while air pollution continues to cause hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year. The European Commission estimates that the health costs could reach €290–950 billion annually by 2030, yet fossil fuel subsidies in the EU still amounted to €111 billion in 2023.
Air pollution is linked to all major non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, stroke, diabetes, dementia and lung cancer, as well as acute respiratory infections. Growing evidence also highlights its impact on mental and neurological health, while poor air quality increases vulnerability to the health effects of climate change.
EPHA joins European and global health organisations in urging EU decision-makers to put health at the heart of climate, energy and clean air policies by committing to a swift and just transition away from fossil fuels.