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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Is fossil fuel usage linked to higher life expectancies?

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

By Eric Smith

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While countries with higher incomes tend to use more fossil fuels, this increased use itself does not lead to higher life expectancies. A study by the University of Leeds found that a global increase in life expectancy is not directly tied to energy use in general, but rather is more correlated to better living and working conditions and quality of health care.

According to Harvard's public health school, burning and producing fossil fuels of any sort “releases pollutants that lead to early death, heart attacks, respiratory disorders, stroke, exacerbation of asthma, and absenteeism at school and work.” A New York University review concluded that, "If fossil fuel emissions were completely eliminated, the global average life expectancy would increase by 1.1 years."

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Science Daily: Longer lives not dependent on increased energy use

Harvard: Fossil fuels and health

NYU: Health effects of burning fossil fuels

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.