Fossil fuel killed over 3 lakh Indians in 2020.

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fossil fuel

News Highlight

The Lancet report estimated over 3,30,000 people died in India due to exposure to particulate matter from fossil fuel combustion in 2020.

Key Takeaway

  • Ahead of this year’s United Nations climate change conference (COP27), a major new report has said that the continued dependence on fossil fuels is compounding the health impacts of the multiple crises the world is facing.
  • The new findings were presented in the seventh annual global report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change.

Major findings of the report

  • Economic loss
    • The report states that in 2021, Indians lost 16,720 crore potential labour hours due to heat exposure with income losses equivalent to about 5.4% of the national GDP.
  • Climate change
    • Stating that climate change is amplifying the health impacts of multiple crises, the report further found that from 2012 to 2021, infants aged under one experienced a higher number of heatwave days.
  • Growth season for maize
    • The climate change added that the duration of the growing season for maize has decreased by 2%, compared with a 1981­-2010 baseline, while rice and winter wheat have each decreased by 1%
  • Heat-related deaths
    • From 2000-2004 to 2017-2021, heat-related deaths increased by 55% in India.
  • Dengue transmission
    • From 1951-1960 to 2012-2021, the number of months suitable for dengue transmission by Aedes aegypti rose by 1.69%, reaching 5.6 months each year.
  • Urban green
    • As per this report, 45% of urban centres in India are classified as moderately green or above.

What are fossil fuels?

  • About
    • Fossil fuels are buried flammable geologic deposits of organic substances such as dead plants and animals that got deposited under several thousand feet of silt.
    • These deposits decayed with the passage of time and got converted to natural gas, coal and petroleum due to the extreme heat and pressure inside the earth’s crust. 
    • They are also known as non-renewable sources of energy as it takes a very long time for them to replenish.
  • Types
    • Coal
    • Petroleum
    • Natural gas

The Lancet

  • About
    • The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal
    • It is the world’s highest-impact general medical journal, and one of the oldest.
  • Foundation
    • It was founded in England in 1823.

Content source: The Hindu

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Created on By Pavithra

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Consider the following statements.

1. Fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals.
2. Coal, Petroleum and Natural gas are different types of fossil fuels.

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

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