Air pollution from burning fossil fuels kills more Australians than alcohol, gambling and car crashes combined. When you add the impacts of global warming, fossil fuels are our greatest health threat. This briefing was written for a national campaign for Doctors for the Environment (DEA): Fossil fuels are a health hazard.

Background and context:

Fossil fuels are the primary drivers of climate change, which is recognised as the single biggest health threat facing humanity by the World Health Organisation. Doctors and health professionals who are on the frontline of care are reporting the escalating impacts of climate change on health in clinics and emergency departments. Climate change harms health in multiple ways:

• It is increasing the incidence and severity of heat and heatwaves, droughts, bushfires and bushfire smoke, storms, and other extreme weather events, along with the displacement, food and water insecurity that go with them.
• It is changing the patterns of infectious diseases.
• It is adding to the mental health burden, especially among young people. 
• It is contributing to biodiversity loss, increasing our risk of zoonotic diseases.
• It is causing rising sea levels, placing coastal communities at risk.
• It is threatening our food and water security.

In addition, the combustion of fossil fuels releases dangerous air pollution, which kills more people globally than smoking. Emissions from coal-fired power stations, especially older ones, can travel long distances, impacting areas hundreds of kilometres away. Hazardous air pollution increases morbidity and rates of asthma, heart disease, cancer, learning delays, poor pregnancy outcomes and cognitive decline.

Fossil fuels are the source material for plastics, causing environmental pollution and harming health through hormonal disruption and increasing our risk of cardiovascular disease.

Why is this important?

• We must phase out fossil fuels to protect health.
• Similar to addressing the health impacts of tobacco by first quitting smoking, to address the health impacts of fossil fuels we must first quit coal, oil and gas. 

Desired outcomes: 

To protect the health of the Australian people, we must:

• ban all new fossil fuel projects and accelerate investment in renewables
• stop financial subsidies to fossil fuel industries and redirect them to carbon-free initiatives 
• ban fossil fuel advertising and industry sponsorship, just like we did with smoking
• ban single-use and non-recyclable plastics and switch to reusable and/or compostable products 
• protect biodiversity and ban native forest logging 
• prepare healthcare and the wider community for what we can no longer avoid.

Who to contact: 

• Your local Federal MPs (check on this website if you’re unsure who that is)
• Key Federal Labor Ministers (addresses in link)
• Assistant Health Ministers - Rebecca White and Emma McBride

Resources:

• Full DEA report
• Sign the DEA petition
• Climate Council report: Airborne hazard: How air pollution harms our kids

ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE:

1. Email your MP or relevant Ministers

If you need some help getting started with your email, here is an example. 

Please don’t copy it exactly - personalise it and tailor it to the MP you are writing to. 

In addition, when writing to a Minister or Shadow Minister, start by saying that you’re writing to them in their role as Minister for xxxx, otherwise they will probably just forward your email to your local MP.

[MP name]

[Member for …. or  Minister for ….]

Dear …

[Include a personal statement - who you are and why you care]

Coal, oil and gas are extremely hazardous to our health and wellbeing. 

The health of Australian people must be put ahead of the interests of the fossil fuel industry.

Climate change is recognised as the single biggest health threat facing humanity by the World Health Organisation, and fossil fuels are the primary drivers. Fossil fuels cause hazardous air pollution, increasing the rates of asthma, heart disease, cancer, learning delays and poor pregnancy outcomes. 

Similar to addressing the health impacts of tobacco by first quitting smoking, to address the health impacts of fossil fuels we must first quit coal, oil and gas. 

To protect the health of Australian people, we must urgently phase out fossil fuel production and our reliance on fossil fuels for power generation, industry and transport. In addition, all new exploration for fossil fuels must be banned.

As my elected representative, will you support a ban on all new coal, oil and gas projects and accelerate investment in renewables?

Will you help to protect the health of the Australian people by:

• stopping financial subsidies to fossil fuel industries
• redirecting government subsidies to carbon-free initiatives 
• banning fossil fuel advertising and industry sponsorship, just like we did with smoking
• protecting biodiversity and banning native forest logging 
• banning single-use and non-recyclable plastics and switching to reusable and/or compostable products 
• preparing healthcare and the wider community for what we can no longer avoid.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely

Name

Address

Phone 

[required if you want a response]

Hi, my name is ….. and I’m a voter in [your electorate].

I’d like to speak to …..[name of MP]

(Staffer will probably say: I’m sorry they’re not available, can I take a message?)

Yes, thank you! Would you please tell them I’m worried about….

And ask them to ….

Thank you!

Heat-induced health risks