Introduction by Croakey: On 31 August, The Weekend Australian published a 1,258 word article by journalist Chris Uhlmann headlined, ‘Fossil fuel bans are hazardous to our health’.
It opened with: “Illiteracy about how the world actually works is everywhere but is often paraded by some of the nation’s most highly educated people. Take Doctors for the Environment Australia. The group’s website declares ‘coal, oil and gas are health hazards’.”
The article followed the release last month of a DEA report, covered by Croakey, that identifies the wide-ranging harms caused by the “extraction, processing, utilisation and waste disposal of fossil fuels” and presents a clear message that “we must quit fossil fuels to protect health”.
Uhlmann’s article makes a number of arguments that fossil fuels industry lobbyists might be happy to promote, including that “almost nothing in modern medicine would be possible without fossil fuels” and that many of the harms blamed on fossil fuels are overstated.
He concludes in favour of “the continued prescription of oil, coal and gas”, evidently not appreciating the weight of support across the health and medical sector, globally and in Australia, for an end to such prescribing.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports: Britain’s reliance on coal-fired power set to end after 140 years.
“Home to the world’s first coal-fired power station, opened in London in 1882, the UK is set to be the first G7 country to stop using coal to generate electricity, one year earlier than first set out by the previous Conservative government in 2015,” says the newspaper. “Germany plans to do so by 2038, Canada by 2030 and Italy from the end of 2025, excluding the island of Sardinia.”
Below, the chair of DEA, Professor Nicholas Talley, and executive director Dr Kate Wylie respond to Uhlmann’s article, urging journalists “to ensure their coverage is evidence based”.
Nicholas Talley and Kate Wylie write:
Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) has a proud tradition of engaging with the media to shine the light on the inextricable link between human health and the health of the planet that supports our lives and, indeed, all life.
Journalist Chris Uhlmann recently published an opinion piece in The Australian regarding our new report, “Fossil Fuels are a Health Hazard” which is a comprehensive analysis on the health impacts of coal, oil and gas, and proposes a treatment pathway to reduce health harms.
Mr Uhlmann is, of course, entitled to his opinion about our report, but as the organisation who is the topic of his article, DEA would like to clear up a number of inaccuracies that could’ve been prevented had he discussed his article with us before publication.
Mr Uhlmann opens his article, stating that the “active ingredient of Panadol is acetaminophen, which is made from coal tar”. The active ingredient of Panadol is in fact N-acetyl-para-aminophenol. In Australia it is termed paracetamol, while it is in the United States that acetaminophen is used.
Mr Uhlmann is correct in that paracetamol is currently made from coal tar, but fails to point out that we could make paracetamol (and other medications) from other feedstocks if we chose to do so. Paracetamol has been synthesised from pine cones in the UK and poplar trees in the US, as researchers there develop ways to reduce our over-dependency on petrochemical feedstocks.
As Dr Josh Tibbetts from the University of Baths Department of Chemistry states “Using oil to make pharmaceuticals is unsustainable – not only is it contributing to rising CO₂ emissions, but the price fluctuates dramatically as we are greatly dependent on the geopolitical stability of countries with large oil-reserves, and it is only going to get more expensive.”
Mr Uhlmann quotes an article in the American Journal of Public Health that states that “nearly 99 per cent of pharmaceutical feedstocks and reagents are derived from petrochemicals”. We have looked up this quote and point out that the article in question was written in 2011 and that the figure of 99 percent was stated to be from an oral communication in 2010.
We must point out that oral communications, i.e. a conversation, are considered the least valid form of medical evidence, in contrast to the 183 high-quality articles and papers cited in our report.
Many common and life-saving medications are derived from plants, including aspirin from Willow Bark, digoxin from Foxglove and colchicine from the Autumn Crocus. As we point out in the report, 10 out of the 14 major classes of antibacterials stem from natural sources and one of the prime concerns the medical world has about biodiversity loss, is that we will lose a source of potential new life saving medications.
Mr Uhlmann’s opinion piece continues by citing further uses of fossil fuels to make hand sanitiser and disposable gloves. Again, our response is that these things can be made from other sources that are not hazardous to human and planetary health.
Humans have made soap for centuries from mixing fat with an alkali, or by using various plants, like the soap tree (Alphitonia excelsa) which is endemic in Australia. There is considerable work being done to reduce the health industry’s over-reliance on plastics and there are a number of biodegradable and disposable products, including gloves, available.
Fundamentally, the responsible action is to reduce our dependence on petrochemicals to protect human and planetary health.
The key takeaways from our report include:
- Fossil fuel pollution is the primary cause of climate change, which is the greatest health problem facing humanity. Climate change is a major driver of more frequent and intense extreme weather, causing deaths and sickness and associated infectious diseases, loss of infrastructure, food and water insecurity, displacement and mental illness.
- In particular is the rise of heatwaves, Australia’s most deadly natural disaster – people die in heat waves from heat stroke, heart attacks and kidney failure. Heatwaves increase emergency department presentations for depression and suicidal ideation.
- Climate change is causing mental health distress in young people with 83% of young people thinking that we failed to take care of the planet.
- Gas in the home causes asthma with 12.3% of childhood asthma attributable to gas in the home. Children with asthma have 30% more asthma exacerbations if they have gas heating and stoves.
- Air pollution causes risky pregnancies, increasing the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight and premature delivery.
Mr Uhlmann is correct that the modern world is dependent on fossil fuels. He is also correct in saying that we cannot turn off fossil fuels overnight. However, we do need to make the transition to a low-carbon economy as quickly as possible, if we are to limit global heating to 1.5℃ and protect our communities from the dangers posed by coal, oil and gas.
DEA, the AMA, and multiple medical colleges have declared a climate health emergency – because we are seeing the impacts of our use of coal, oil and gas in our emergency departments and clinics and recognise that we have a duty of care to speak out about these serious health harms and deaths.
DEA is made up of medical doctors, and we are highly qualified to make the diagnosis that fossil fuels are a health hazard. We are very well aware how much fossil fuels are embroiled into our lives and the harm they cause which is why we want to address this health hazard, just like we addressed the health hazards of smoking, asbestos and stone bench tops. We need to address our dependency and wean off fossil fuels to protect health.
We have options available – renewables for electricity, plant based polymers for plastics etc – so many products where we currently use fossil fuels that could use alternatives that do not harm health.
Journalists have an opportunity to raise public awareness of climate change, using their power to encourage transformative action on what is termed the defining story of our time. They have a responsibility to ensure their coverage is evidence based and reports on the very real scientific and health warnings.
Because the time to wean off fossil fuels is now. Let’s acknowledge the health risks and make the needed changes to protect the health of our communities, our planet and ourselves.
Professor Nicholas J. Talley AC, MD, PhD, FRACP, FAFPHM, FAHMS
Board Chair, Doctors for the Environment Australia
Dr Kate Wylie, MBBS, BHSCi FRACGP DCH Grad Cert PESH
Executive Director, Doctors for the Environment Australia
See Croakey’s archive of articles on fossil fuels and health
