Fossil fuel-related air pollution costs 55 billion dollars a year

According to a report prepared by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and the Clean Air Right Platform (THHP), 52 percent of PM2.5 air pollution in Turkey originates from fossil fuels, creating a major health and economic burden.

The report titled 'The Heavy Toll of Fossil Fuels on Turkey: Health Burden and Economic Cost', prepared by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and the Clean Air Right Platform (THHP), was announced in Istanbul. The research revealed that 52 percent of PM2.5 air pollution in Turkey stems from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas.

While said pollution costs the Turkish economy approximately 55 billion dollars a year, this figure corresponds to 4.1 percent of the 2024 GDP. From a health perspective, it causes approximately 26,500 deaths annually due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, lung cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Furthermore, it is stated to lead to 8.5 million lost workdays per year, asthma cases in children, and premature births.

THHP Coordinator Deniz Gümüşel emphasized that new coal-fired power plant projects should be halted and existing ones shut down with a just transition plan, while Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Çağlayan called for fossil fuels to be defined as harmful products similar to tobacco in terms of public health.