Recent U.S. Climate and Clean Energy Actions Will Save Tens of Thousands of Lives, Deliver Trillions of Dollars in Health and Climate Benefits

(Washington, D.C. – January 21, 2025) Environmental Defense Fund released a new fact sheet today on the cumulative benefits of U.S. climate and clean air actions over the last four years – and found enormous benefits.

EDF looked at 11 federal actions along with some impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act. Together, by 2055, they will:

• Reduce more than 28 billion metric tons of climate pollution. That’s almost five times the climate pollution emitted by the entire U.S. today, or the equivalent of taking more than 250 million cars off the road for 20 years.
• Save almost 190,000 lives.
• Prevent 320,000 hospital and ER visits.
• Prevent 135 million asthma attacks.
• Prevent almost 50 million missed school and workdays.
• Deliver net benefits of up to $4.3 trillion in health and climate benefits.

The fact sheet highlights that the U.S. has put vital climate and clean air standards in place over the last four years, as well as investments in manufacturing for clean vehicles and clean energy. Reversing course would put “American leadership and job growth at risk and increase costs for Americans – including energy costs and the costs of extreme weather events like fires and floods that have harmed people in communities across the country. It would also expose Americans to more harmful pollution that causes sickness and early death.”  

The total monetary benefits for the U.S. when including all the impacts of investments driven by the IRA, will be far greater. EDF and WSP’s recent analysis shows the IRA has helped attract more than $130 billion in announced investments in EV and battery manufacturing since it was passed in August 2022.

Today’s new fact sheet looks at 11 actions, most by the Environmental Protection Agency, along with IRA incentives that address air pollution from power plants, highway vehicles, oil and gas production, industrial plants, and other sources.