PUT THAT FIRE OUT
Greens want ban on burning smoky coal and wet wood as price of joining coalition
GREEN Party leader Eamon Ryan has revealed that a nationwide ban on the burning of coal and wet wood will be one of the conditions of the party agreeing to go into government.
After the announcement by the UK that it would ban the burning of coal and wood with a moisture content of more than 20% from 2023, the Green leader said it would be a condition of a deal with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or Sinn Féin.
He insisted that there are more efficient and cheaper ways for families to heat their homes than burning fossil fuels.
The Green Party leader said: ‘There are about 1,000 deaths in Ireland each year from pollution and it’s something we can’t ignore.
‘The last government pulled back from introducing a ban under legal threat from coal importers. I think the way around that is to follow the example in the UK where they are introducing a gradual ban from 2021 until 2023. You would do it on a gradual basis and I would like to know the arguments against it.
‘It’s healthier and it would save lives. There are other alternatives and heating systems which are better economically and more efficient.
‘So yes [such a ban] should form part of the programme for government.’
Last year the Environmental Protection Agency recommended that the burning of smoky coal and wet woods be banned nationwide.
At present all householders living in towns with a population of over 10,000 cannot burn smoky coal and must use smokeless coal instead.
Up to 29 different regions are covered by this ban and last December outgoing Environment Minister Richard Bruton added 13 more towns to this list. But he backed down on a blanket ban on smoky coal, because of the prospect of a legal challenge from the coal industry. There are currently no restrictions on wet wood.
According to the EPA up to 1,000 Irish people die each year from health issues caused by pollutants found in smoky coal and some of these pollutants have been linked with lung cancer, heart failure, as well as exacerbating asthma.
Meanwhile, sulphur dioxide from smoky coal can also cause heart, lung, nasal and throat health problems. Last week, the UK government announced it plans from next year to phase out the use of smoky coal and wet wood in open fires and stoves. Wood-burning stoves and coal fires are the largest source of particulate pollution PM2.5 – particles larger than 2.5 micrometres in size – contributing three times more of this specific type of pollution than road traffic.
Increasingly, research has shown pollutants have made their way deep into the human organs and brain, and linked them to conditions from heart disease to dementia.
Last year an expert warned that some medium-sized Irish towns had pollution levels worse than New Delhi because of the burning of solid fuel to heat homes, especially on still nights.
‘There are better, more efficient heating systems’