The year in wood burning

What were the big stories this year for wood burning? Join us to look back at 2024 as we look forward to 2025.

January

The highlight was the inaugural Clean Air Night hosted by Global Action Plan and supported by local authorities, charities and health and environmental campaign groups across the UK. There was extensive local and national coverage in all types of media, including some lively radio shows.

Consumer reviewers Which looked at information from a variety of sources and concluded that they “wouldn’t recommend installing a new wood-burning stove without seriously considering how and when you will use it, and what the health and environmental impacts will be on those in your own home and your neighbours”. The debate around solid fuel heating was an increasingly hot topic in Scotland, while wood smoke was causing concern in British cities including Birmingham and Bristol.

February

Defra released information showing that the 19% increase in pollution from domestic solid fuels between 2012 and 2022 is wiping out some of the air quality gains from changes to travel and commercial energy production. Oxford joined a growing band of cities and towns expanding smoke control areas city-wide.

March

The Wirral Council published plans to create a single smoke control order covering all areas, while South Africa joined the long list of countries that the UK imports firewood from. Studies in Germany, Italy and Ireland revealed concerning levels of pollution for vulnerable populations, while doctors here in the UK took to the media to share messages on the harms of air pollution.

April

The New Build Heat Standard came into operation in Scotland requiring the installation of only climate-friendly heating systems instead of fossil fuel based heating. The standards are being amended to allow bioenergy systems despite opposition from medical professionals. In Ireland there have been council inspections to prevent the illegal sale of bituminous coal amid growing concern around the implications of air pollution on maternal health.

May

Sweden published a study that demonstrated almost 3,000 premature deaths are avoided each year due to air quality improvements in cities, while research in the East Midlands shows that 2,000 premature deaths per year could be prevented by meeting WHO guidelines for air quality.

June

Professor Frank Kelly of Imperial College London called on policymakers to be “more inventive and progressive” in their approach to wood burners and said it is something “which could be legislated against” to protect the health of Londoners. On 20 June, health professionals, air quality experts and campaigners marked Clean Air Day by joining the Cleaner Air, Healthier Lives Summit at the Wellcome Collection to share knowledge about the health impacts of air pollution and to discuss ways to improve air quality.

July

Reading Council outlined a plan to extend its smoke control area to cover the entire town, and a study linked solid fuel exposure to higher levels of depression and anxiety. Wakefield Council issued its first financial penalty for breaking smoke control area rules.

August

Ride for their lives’ supported a campaign by over 100 doctors writing to the UK Government to ask for a commitment to improving air quality, requesting action on solid fuel burning in homes.

September

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health joined the growing ranks of scientists and medical professionals calling for a phasing out of domestic woodburning, another study showed that children who grow up in polluted areas earn less as adults, and separate research showed an increase in daily deaths when particle pollution levels attributed to wood burning are higher in London.

Cooler weather brought media warnings about the dangers of chimney fires, poorly maintained solid fuel stoves and chimneys, lack of carbon monoxide detectors, and frequent reminders about the Clean Air Act and the penalties associated with breaking smoke control area rules.

October

Articles on smoke control area rules proliferated alongside information on the health harms of burning solid fuels, and a timely warning around the dangers of burning rubbish. Coventry City Council became the latest local authority to monitor the impact of log burners on indoor air quality.

November

A survey reported that a third of British residents believe that log burner installation should be banned in the UK, and the air quality campaign group, Mums for Lungs, called on the government to phase out the sale and use of wood burning stoves. The popular Dr Amir Khan used his platform on ITV to bring information about the health harms from wood burning to the fore.

December

The campaign group Global Action Plan published a policy pathway to reduce air pollution by phasing out domestic burning, and the West Northamptonshire Council launched a survey into solid fuel burning habits. A study from the University of Birmingham showed that domestic solid fuel burning now contributes more harmful PM2.5 pollution than traffic, and this study was supported by a report from the Institute of Fiscal Studies examining inequalities in air pollution exposure. The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health reiterated its call for the UK government to regulate the sale and use of domestic solid wood burners in urban areas.

It’s been a busy year for research and action around wood burning, with calls for the government to regulate or phase out domestic wood burning coming from healthcare professionals, scientists, campaign groups and professional bodies. The increasing coverage of smoke control areas in UK towns and cities highlights the growing concern about the impacts of solid fuel burning across larger areas. We are looking keenly forward to reducing air pollution from solid fuel burning in 2025.

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