One thing about the widespread use of fossil fuels that isn't intellectually internalized enough, including by me, is that lessening and then eliminating them will not only turn the corner on global warming: it will directly save human lives and health in astonishing ways.
A recent Guardian story gives the details on this year's State of Global Air report:
Dirty air is now the second biggest killer globally, overtaking tobacco use, and second only to high blood pressure, as a risk factor for death among the general population. Among children under five, air pollution is second only to malnutrition as a risk factor in mortality.
The particles known as PM2.5 are responsible for 90% of those deaths, and the amount of PM2.5 in the air will increase with more climate change-induced droughts and wildfires.
As Dave Roberts said on Twitter about the report,
Say it with me: the clean-energy transition will pay for itself ten times over through reduction in air pollution alone.
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