Fossil fuels have powered the modern world for over a century, but at what cost? 

The conversation around renewable energy often focuses on emissions, economics, or climate goals, but the real price of coal, oil, and gas is measured in something far more immediate, human health. 

According to a 2022 study published in GeoHealth, eliminating fossil fuel emissions in the U.S. alone could prevent up to 59,400 premature deaths every year while saving between $537 billion and $678 billion annually in healthcare costs. These numbers are staggering, yet they rarely make the headlines. 

The reality is, the air millions of Americans breathe is slowly killing them, and fossil fuels are to blame.

The Communities Paying the Price

The health consequences of dirty energy are not felt equally. If you live in a wealthy neighborhood with clean air, this might seem like an abstract issue. But for communities living near power plants, oil refineries, and heavy industry, this is everyday life.

Port Arthur, Texas, is home to some of the country’s largest oil refineries, and the residents here suffer some of the highest rates of respiratory disease in the nation. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is rampant, even among non-smokers. 

Cancer rates are through the roof. Local doctors know exactly what is happening, and yet these refineries continue to operate, propped up by an industry that receives $20 billion a year in direct government subsidies, according to a 2023 report from the International Monetary Fund. 

Taxpayers are not just funding these companies. They are also paying the medical bills of those suffering from the consequences of their pollution.

It starts early. Kids growing up in high-pollution areas experience permanently reduced lung capacity. The American Lung Association has found that children in polluted neighborhoods are more likely to suffer from asthma, bronchitis, and long-term cognitive impairments.

It is not a coincidence that places like Birmingham, Alabama, which sits in the shadow of heavy industry and coal-fired power plants, have some of the highest asthma hospitalization rates in the country. A study by the American Thoracic Society found that children here are hospitalized for asthma at twice the rate of those living in less polluted areas. 

This is not genetics, bad luck, or a failure of personal responsibility. It is the direct result of breathing toxic air from an industry that refuses to clean up its act.

Renewable Energy Can Save Lives

The good news is that we already know how to fix this. Cities that have phased out coal plants are seeing rapid improvements.

Pittsburgh, once infamous for its smog-covered skyline, has experienced a significant drop in respiratory hospitalizations since shutting down major coal-fired power plants. California, which has aggressively pushed renewable energy policies, has seen a steady decline in pollution-related illnesses over the past two decades. 

The pattern is clear, when fossil fuels go, public health improves.

But the effects of dirty energy go beyond long-term illnesses. The risks become painfully obvious when disasters strike. The Texas winter storm of 2021 was a brutal wake-up call. The state’s natural gas-dependent power grid collapsed, leaving millions in the dark, hospitals scrambling to ration oxygen, and doctors manually ventilating patients as backup generators failed.

Meanwhile, in California, Kaiser Permanente hospitals that had invested in solar-powered microgrids remained fully operational. The lesson was obvious, fossil fuel infrastructure is fragile, while renewables provide resilience.

Energy poverty is another crisis that is rarely talked about. Millions of Americans struggle to afford their energy bills, leaving them trapped in extreme heat during the summer or freezing in winter.

The U.S. Department of Energy has found that families living in energy poverty face higher rates of heatstroke, hypothermia, and cardiovascular strain due to temperature extremes. Meanwhile, renewable energy, particularly community solar projects, offers a way to lower energy costs and provide stable, affordable power to the people who need it most.

Even the healthcare industry itself is waking up. Hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and biotech firms are among the largest consumers of energy, and many are turning to renewables to ensure stable operations while cutting costs.

Companies like Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer are making massive investments in clean energy, not just for sustainability reasons but because it is smart business. Hospitals, which rely on uninterrupted power, are increasingly installing solar-plus-battery systems to ensure that life-saving equipment never goes offline. 

This is not just about reducing emissions, it is about reliability, safety, and patient care.

Who Is Blocking the Transition?

Despite the overwhelming benefits, the transition to renewable energy is still being resisted by powerful interests. The fossil fuel industry is well aware that cleaner energy threatens its dominance, and much like Big Tobacco decades ago, it has spent billions funding misinformation campaigns designed to slow the transition.

They fund studies that downplay the health risks of pollution, lobby against clean energy policies, and prop up politicians willing to do their bidding. 

The stakes could not be higher. If the U.S. were to fully transition to clean energy, it would not just be a win for the environment, it would be one of the most significant public health victories in modern history.

This is not just about reducing emissions. This is about preventing millions of people from developing life-altering diseases. It is about cutting healthcare costs, stabilizing hospitals, and ensuring that no one dies because their air is poisoned by an industry that refuses to change.

Fossil fuels are not just outdated, they are a public health emergency. The only question left is how much longer we are willing to pay the price.