A ban on wood-burning stoves could soon prove an expensive mistake
SIR – Is this Michael Gove’s “diesel moment”? Laudable in its intentions, has the Environment Secretary’s proposal to ban wood-burning stoves (report, May 22) been thought through?
Wood-burning stoves have been aggressively marketed, with government support, as an alternative to fossil fuel, using a widely available and sustainable source.
This ban will destroy many businesses and put thousands out of work. Will the millions of stoves already installed soon be subject to a similar ban and householders be forced to buy expensive replacements? Paul Strong
Claxby, Lincolnshire
SIR – I installed a stove in 2008, as the Labour government had no proper energy policy. Since then, successive governments have failed to get a grip on national energy security.
We have been willing to destroy companies that create national wealth because we have run short of gas.
The first pylon has been erected that forms part of the Richborough connection, to bring electricity from the Continent. The Government has been warned that the undersea connection is vulnerable to enemy attack. Even if not cut, the supply and its price will be dependent on the kindness of strangers. Philip Wilson-sharp
Fordwich, Kent
SIR – At last wood burning is seen as pollution. Wood has more complex chemistry than coal or oil, and emits more toxins.
As every schoolboy used to know, trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, so burning them is no way to save the environment. Geoffrey Hodgson
Leeds, West Yorkshire
SIR – A recent study concluded that wood-burning power stations are more polluting than coal. Now that wood-burning stoves are to be banned, will the Government ban the import of millions of tons of American wood which, at huge expense to the taxpayer, is also falsely claimed as green carbon-neutral energy? Gordon Maddocks
Newport, Shropshire
SIR – There are nearly 26 million cars on the roads. Over a third use diesel fuel. Add millions of lorries, buses and taxis, and it is clear that a protracted clean-up must eventually take place.
However, I take issue with the claim by Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt that a mere million or so wood-burning stoves “contribute 38 per cent of all particulate matter pollution”. From whence do they grasp these figures? Zog Ziegler
Haw Bridge, Gloucestershire
SIR – As a diesel-driving, log-burning baby boomer, is it just me or is the Government setting up new scapegoats? Once we leave the EU, they’ll need to blame someone when things go wrong. David Dorey
Corsham, Wiltshire