Better Life-expectancy Courtesy Of ‘Fossil Fuels’
The bad news is we’re all going to die. The good news is it’s going to take a lot longer than it used to
If we were given to climate doomsterism we’d point out that, sure you might live a longer, healthier life but it will just mean 30 more years of suffering the ravages of ‘climate change’ before dying prematurely at a ripe old age.
In fact we’re not inclined to waste our time agonizing about that sort of thing.
But however you plan to spend your longevity dividend, in gratitude or in bitterness, there is no denying its reality.
So here’s is our 7th ‘Cheerful Chart’, global life expectancy:
As you can see, and despite the usual chatter about how ‘climate change’ is making the poor poorer and the rich more miserably wealthy, the pattern is truly global.
Low life expectancy prior to 1800 was also a global phenomenon.
Wherever you lived, up to the latter half of the 1800s your average life span was less than 40 years. Then things began improving, first in Oceania, Europe and North America and soon everywhere else.
The global average is now over 70 years, more than double where it was in 1900.
Some people try to dismiss this by saying that it’s all just due to declining infant mortality: anyone who survived childhood in the old days lived as long or longer than people do now.
But it’s not entirely true.
As the folks at OurWorldinData point out, life expectancy has grown for all age cohorts, meaning a 50 year-old today has a longer expected remaining lifespan than a 50 year-old a century ago.
The causes of this boon are many.
But not being cold, hungry and vulnerable to disease is a key element, and the availability of abundant and inexpensive energy fuels has played a critical role in making people warmer and better-fed.
On top of which, the warming saved more lives than it cost because to this day cold kills far more people than heat, even in “hot” countries.
So enjoy this week’s Cheerful Chart, courtesy of ‘fossil fuels’.
See more here climatediscussionnexus
Header image: Nuffield Health
Editor’s note: notice the global downturn in life-expectancy in 2021. What could have caused that I wonder?
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