A new study from Harvard confirms the link between fracking and premature deaths in senior citizens. According to the study, people ages 65 and older who live closest to oil wells were 2.5% more likely to die early than those who don't. This is the first paper that has linked mortality among senior citizens and air pollution from fracking.

Why This Matters

While some fossil fuel companies may insist that petroleum is "essential for life," the opposite is true. Another study from Stanford and UC Berkley found that residents living within 2.5 miles of oil and gas wells are exposed to higher levels of dangerous pollution.

Fracking has become the most common form of drilling in the US, and roughly 17.6 million residents live within about a half mile of at least one active well, according to the Harvard study. To prevent more people from suffering from air pollution and given the known dangers of living near oil wells, we need more measures like in Los Angeles, where last week the city council voted unanimously to end drilling in the city for public health reasons.

Fighting Fossil Fuels

It's clear that fossil fuels aren't just dangerous for humans, they're also dangerous for the planet. A study published in Nature last fall found that to keep global temperatures below a 1.5-degrees Celsius rise, it's imperative that at least 90% of coal reserves and 60% of gas and oil reserves are not extracted by 2050.

In its investigation into Big Oil's role in the spread of climate disinformation, the House Oversight Committee has issued a second round of appearance requests from board members. The committee says it's calling on the executives to explore their "key governance role in addressing the climate crisis by overseeing and guiding companies' climate strategies, promoting transparency, and holding management accountable to meaningful emissions reductions."