The world could save 8.8 million lives through 2050 with a more ambitious path towards electification, according to a new study by the ICCT, the same organization which blew the whistle on VW’s Dieselgate scandal.
And given the scale of death and how avoidable it is, any group that actively works to slow EV adoption is functionally committing mass murder.
The new report tallies up the massive amounts of death caused by vehicle pollution, finding that one person dies globally every 45 seconds as a result of vehicle exhaust pollution.
It examined the health effects of various pollutants, like small particulate matter, ozone and nitrogen dioxide, each of which largely come from vehicle exhaust. In 2024, these pollutants caused 700,000 premature deaths and 250,000 new childhood asthma cases. About 42,000 of those deaths each year are in America.
Then, ICCT looked at various EV adoption scenarios to estimate what will happen to these numbers over time. It started with the “baseline” scenario assuming policies in place from 2025 continue to be in place until 2050, and found that if we continue on this path, premature deaths will increase by 74% by 2050, to one death every 26 seconds.
But that’s not our only option – the “Ambitious” scenario, in which policies are put in place such that 100% of global vehicle sales are electric by 2045 (2040 for light-duty, and earlier for select vehicle markets), would reduce premature deaths by 63% and childhood asthma by 80%.
ICCT examined other middle-ground scenarios, but the “ambitious” scenario is still eminently reachable. Given the world’s largest auto market went from 5% EV market share in 2020 to 54% in 2025, other smaller countries should be more than capable of following.
The ICCT particularly calls out the effect of heavy duty vehicles on air pollution. While personal vehicles are a massive contributor to pollution due to their number, each truck pollutes much more than each car, and overall trucks are responsible for more pollution than cars are, even though they exist in much smaller numbers.
This underlines the necessity of electrifying heavy freight on an advanced timeline, as the benefits are much larger per electrified truck than per electrified car.
Notably, the study does not include the effects of climate change, only air pollution. Internal combustion engines also produce CO2 and other greenhouse gases which warm the planet, disrupting ecosystems and causing sea level rise.
This increases the world’s susceptibility to natural disaster and will force the migration of potentially over a billion people who live in vulnerable areas globally, meaning societal disruptions and housing shortages in areas less vulnerable to the ravages we’ve knowingly brought upon our only home.
However, that baseline takes into account 2025 policy – it doesn’t account for the policy backsliding that has happened in countries that are currently being controlled by murderous, dictatorial regimes, or the pushed-back timelines that were lobbied for by suicidal incumbent manufacturers.
When compared to those murderous policies, the amount of lives saved by 2050 in the “ambitious” scenario would be even higher than 8.8 million.
And yet, every policy maker knows this to be the case. This is not the first study of this sort, and it won’t be the last. They all show that intentional policy slowing down electrification of transportation leads to more death, and they implement these policies with full knowledge of the death they will cause – and knowledge of the amount of fossil fuel donations that will line their pockets if they ignore that death.
And causing mass death with knowing aforethought is not just murder, it’s mass murder. We need to start treating “leaders” who act as such as the mass murderers they are – and treat them the same way as any other person responsible for millions of deaths.
Charge your electric vehicle at home using rooftop solar panels. Find a reliable and competitively priced solar installer near you on EnergySage, for free. They have pre-vetted installers competing for your business, ensuring high-quality solutions and 20-30% savings. It’s free, with no sales calls until you choose an installer. Compare personalized solar quotes online and receive guidance from unbiased Energy Advisers. Get started here. – ad*
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments