The European Heart Network (EHN), alongside more than 30 European and global health organisations, has signed a joint statement by the EU Healthy Air Coalition calling on EU policymakers to accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels and place health at the centre of climate and energy policy.
Climate change and air pollution are the greatest environmental threats to health in Europe, with the burning of fossil fuels driving both. Air pollution is a major cause of cardiovascular disease and an exacerbating factor for many other non-communicable diseases, including stroke, diabetes, respiratory diseases, dementia and lung cancer.
Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world, while air pollution continues to cause hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year and places a significant burden on healthcare systems and society. Despite this, fossil fuel subsidies in the European Union reached €111 billion in 2023.
In the joint statement, the signatories call on EU policymakers to:
Reducing dependence on fossil fuels is not only essential to addressing climate change but also represents a major opportunity to prevent cardiovascular disease, improve population health, strengthen energy security and build more resilient communities.