Fossil fuels favoured over air quality subsidies

Source: Euractiv Pro and Clean Air Fund.

The NGO Clean Air Fund reports that, on a global scale, governments are allocating more funds to fossil fuel subsidies than to air quality improvements

According to the report, governments directed nearly $5.4 billion (€4.9 billion) in overseas development aid toward fossil fuel projects in 2022, compared to just $4.7 billion (€4.3 billion) for air quality enhancement. While international development funding for fossil fuel projects rose by 350% in one year, air quality recieved less than 1% of development funding.

Poor air quality carries significant costs. The World Bank estimates that the health expenses related to air pollution amount to 6.1% of the global GDP.

The Clean Air Fund also highlights that over half of the 8.3 million annual deaths linked to outdoor air pollution are attributed to fossil fuel emissions.