Login

Pressemitteilung: Vehicle pollution cuts one life short every 45 seconds: Ambitious electrification could save 8.8 million by 2050. / New ICCT report finds that a rapid transition to zero-emission vehicles could cut premature deaths from road transport pollution by 63% and childhood asthma cases by 80% — reversing a trend that would otherwise see a 74% increase in the death toll by 2050. Washington DC, June 29, 2026 — Emissions from road transport lead to 1 premature death every 45 seconds and trigger a new childhood asthma case every 2 minutes, according to a major new report released today by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). The report, Health Benefits of Zero-Emission Transport Through 2050, finds that without an accelerated transition to electric vehicles the death toll will increase 74% by 2050 — but with ambitious vehicle electrification, premature deaths can be cut by 63% and childhood asthma cases by 80%, preventing 8.8 million premature deaths between now and 2050. Globally, road transport alone accounts for nearly half of the World Health Organization’s annual guideline for outdoor fine particle pollution—making it an essential target in multi-sector efforts to reduce harmful air pollution. “In 2024 alone, road transport contributed to nearly 700,000 premature deaths and 250,000 new childhood asthma cases globally. What makes this especially troubling is the trajectory: as high-income countries clean up their vehicle fleets, low- and middle-income countries are on track to bear a growing share of the harm — widening, not closing, global health inequity,” said lead author Lingzhi Jin. / (....)