We already know that fossil fuel is bad for the environment, which is why a lot of people and companies have dedicated resources to finding alternative energy sources. However, as we're still developing eco-friendly alternatives millions of people die due to fossil fuel-related pollutants.
Five Million Deaths from Air Pollution
Pollution in the air has always been a concern, especially for densely populated cities and countries. Even if we know better than to breathe in the air from vehicular traffic, we don't really have a choice in the matter.
A new study shows that the pollution that comes from the emissions of fossil fuels has become so dangerous, the point that it is up in the level of health concerns in smoking. It could even be worse since smoking is a choice, but breathing in polluted air is not.
In a published statistic back in 2019, it was revealed that 8.3 million people died from pollutants in the ambient air such as fine particles, ozone, and of course, fossil fuel emissions. An alarming 61% of all the fatalities are linked to the latter, as per Interesting Engineering.
The most impacted countries are China and India, both of which are known to have a massive population number. China sees 2.44 million deaths per year, while India sees 2.18 million per year. This shows that only these two countries make up the majority of the 5.1 million deaths.
While car companies are already going electric gradually, we're still a long way from having zero carbon emissions from vehicles. Even then, countless factories still emit so much smoke through the use of fossil fuels.
Certain car manufacturers have already provided an estimate as to when they will become fully electric, mostly saying it will be by 2030. Still, we will not see a significant difference within the decade. For a total shift in energy sources for vehicles, it might take until 2050 or later.
Since we are still heavily reliant on such harmful fuels, it won't be easy to phase it out. According to Statista, the market share of electric vehicles was about 14% back in 2022, which has seen an increase from around 8.7% in the previous year.
How to Avoid Breathing Polluted Air
There are several ways you can avoid breathing in polluted air, whether it's from fossil fuels or other pollutants. For one, don't pollute areas when it's not necessary such as sidewalks on densely packed streets where cars emit carbon.
You can also check your local weather and air quality forecasts to see whether the day is more polluted than others. You can do this by downloading certain apps that send daily alerts on weather and air quality, as suggested by WebMD.
If you live near widely used roads or streets, it's best to close your windows so that the smoke or other pollutants will not enter your home. If you need to use utilities, find eco-friendly alternatives like electric leaf-blowers over gas models.
