'Pollution from wood stoves and fireplaces in the home are troubling because people, including young children and pregnant women, may be sat mere feet away from the fire. They also tend to be used more at the weekend when wood-burning families (and their unwitting victims, their neighbours) are likely to be in their homes.''Where I live in the UK, the government has reported on many air pollutants since the 1970s, when many cities were shrouded in industrial smog. While there is an overall trend towards lower levels of particulate pollution thanks to the gradual phase out of coal power and the adoption of cleaner industrial practices, when it comes to particulates from domestic woodstoves, levels are the highest they have been since 1990.
In the UK, there are reported to be 1.5 million wood-burning stoves in use, with around 200,000 more sold every year. Shockingly, recent figures show that “the use of wood in domestic combustion activities accounted for 38 per cent of PM2.5 emissions in 2018.”
Pollution from wood stoves and fireplaces in the home are troubling because people, including young children and pregnant women, may be sat mere feet away from the fire. They also tend to be used more at the weekend when wood-burning families (and their unwitting victims, their neighbours) are likely to be in their homes.
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In the late 80s, wood burning stoves looked like they were going to disappear in rich countries because, simply put, they are inferior to the alternatives. Their recent return to popularity is part of a wider anti-progress movement that includes organic food and a preference for “natural” ingredients. Only when this lifestyle trend fades in favour of technological progress and human health are we likely to see any change. That, or if governments crack down on domestic air pollution like London did following the lethal Great Smog of 1952.
Such a ban may be coming in the near future in some countries. The UK government has already announced plans to make illegal the selling of coal for domestic fires by 2023. By February 2021, the bags of wood sold on garage forecourts around the country must be dry (AKA seasoned) wood, which has lower emissions that wet (AKA green) wood.
As for biomass for electricity, recent documentaries like Planet of the Humans, error strewn though it is, have raised the biomass issue up the agenda. I feel (hope) that this strange industry will slowly start to lose political support in favour of other firm, low-carbon alternatives.'
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Wood Stoves and Biomass Plants: What Are They Good For? June 9, 2020
Context'A New Scientist review in 2017 concluded that “log-burning stoves are harming our health and speeding up global warming”.''..wood burning is the single largest source of hazardous particle pollution during winter, creating even more particle pollution than vehicles and industry.''Most countries don’t take it seriously enough and aren’t doing enough given the scale of the harm that air pollution is doing to all of our health.'(Electric Universe) - 'THE SAFIRE PROJECT has become a commercial venture ..Aureon Energy, Ltd'(Global Healing 2020 - 2050)(Fusion Energy) - Total Transformation - '..the elimination of want.'