London: Dousing Wood Fires to Clean-Up Air

Sadiq Khan is seeking new powers to combat non-road pollution in the capital, including a crack-down on wood fires and wood-burning stoves.

The London Mayor wants to create zones where the burning of solid fuel such as wood and coal is banned entirely as well as imposing higher standards for river emissions and new limits on pollution from construction sites.

It is estimated that only half of the capital’s air pollution is caused by traffic and Khan believes he needs more powers  to tackle other forms of pollution in London if there is to be any hope of preventing “High” air pollution alerts in the capital.

An alert had to be triggered last week because of what the Mayor called “the shocking and illegal state of London’s filthy air.” He said it was “the seventh time in 13 months that we have had to use the alert system and shows why air pollution is a public health issue.”

London’s dirty and dangerous air significantly increases lung and respiratory problems and severely increases asthma attacks for those vulnerable to them. The Mayor has now written to Michael Gove, the Secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, setting out the additional powers he believes are needed.

“Non-transport sources contribute half of the deadly emissions in London,” he wrote, “so we need a hard-hitting plan of action to combat them similar to moves I am taking to reduce pollution from road vehicles.

With more than 400 schools located in areas exceeding legal pollution levels and such significant health impacts on our most vulnerable communities we cannot wait any longer and I am calling on Government to provide the capital with the necessary powers to effectively tackle harmful emissions from a variety of sources.”

Khan also plans a £10 Toxicity-Charge – to be known as the T-Charge – that is due to start in October, the introduction of the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in 2019 and the cleaning up of London’s public transport fleets so that they lead the way in ultra-low emission technology. The vehicles targetted for the strongest action will be pre-2006 diesel and petrol vehicles.

Under the proposals the Mayor wants to introduce a network of “zero-emission zones” where the burning of wood or coal is completely prohibited.

He also wants tougher controls on the sale of wood-burning stoves. The proposals would allow only low-emission versions of wood-burning stoves to remain on the market.

There are now 187 areas of London where pollution regularly exceeds European limits. Khan’s plans also include curbing emissions from machinery on building sites, such as diesel-powered diggers, and boats on the Thames.

A spokesman for the Mayor said the proposals would include “very small zones to curb pollution caused by wood-burning stoves” by 2025. “It is one of a number of ideas and it would need legislation from government and it would be at least six years away from happening,” the spokesman added.

Air pollution causes an estimated 9,500 early deaths a year in London and 40,000 across Britain.

 

by Bob Graham

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