A new study from Nature Energy finds that substantial increases in renewable energy helped prevent the premature deaths of up to 12,700 people over a 9 year period in the U.S. Some 1,850 premature deaths were avoided in 2015 alone, demonstrating how clean energy can provide remarkable public health benefits.

Harmful air pollutants, such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, fell significantly between 2007 and 2015. This decline was driven in part by a dramatic 10 fold increase in renewable energy, which has been replacing emission-heavy fossil fuels. In addition, the study found that the effects of lower carbon emissions were worth billions of dollars.