Public consultation a good next step towards the banning of smoky coal and an improvement in air quality.
Waterford TD welcomes public consultation as the next step towards the banning of smoky coal and an improvement in air quality.
Marc Ó Cathasaigh, the Green Party TD for Waterford welcomes today’s announcement by Eamon Ryan, Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications that he is launching a public consultation to seek views on the further regulation of solid fuel use for domestic home heating. The minister is inviting people to have their say on how Ireland can lead in this area, ban smoky fuels and save lives. The consultation process is open to the public, health professionals, experts, NGOs and those involved in the industry to give their views on how Ireland can design and implement rules that will save lives.
Welcoming the announcement, Deputy Ó Cathasaigh said: “Today we take a step closer to cleaner air in our cities, towns and villages as we move towards a nationwide ban on the sale and burning of smoky coal and the regulation of other fuels, as part of a drive to combat air pollution and protect public health. Waterford City already benefits from a smoky fuel ban and because Tramore has a population of over 10,000, it was one of 13 towns added to the list of urban centres in 2020. I want to see the ban rolled out nationwide for the health of the nation. We all deserve to breathe clean air and the impact of a nationwide ban will result in significant health benefits throughout our communities.”
“The links between air pollution and increased risks of stroke, cancer and respiratory and cardiovascular disease are well documented. The impact of poor air quality on short term health issues is also well known and includes headaches, eye irritation, breathing difficulties and increased asthma. When the “smoky coal ban” was introduced in Dublin in 1990 the result was approximately 350 fewer mortalities per year, reducing cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and respiratory mortality in the general population. Poor air quality is considered the most significant environmental risk to human health and it’s our responsibility in government to do what we can to address this.”
“I want to see clean air in all our towns and villages in Waterford. From Passage to Portlaw and Dungarvan to Dunmore East, our citizens deserve clean and healthy air and we must all play our part in delivering this. This consultation process will give everyone the opportunity to have their say on how they think the Smoky Coal Ban can best be achieved and how they feel other fuels should be regulated. An example of a measure that could be taken is to introduce a maximum moisture content level at which wood be can sold. Wood with high moisture content (wet wood) is significantly more polluting than wood with low moisture content (dry wood). Members of the public and experts will have other suggestions like this and the Minister is keen to hear them all”.
Under current regulations the sale, marketing, distribution and burning of bituminous (smoky) coal is not permitted in specific low smoke zones (LSZs) across the country. These apply in our cities and all towns with populations in excess of 10,000 people (including Waterford City and Tramore). There is a commitment in the Programme for Government to work towards a national extension of this ban over the term of government, and the consultation launched today is the first part of that process.
Deputy Ó Cathasaigh added: “There’s a comfort attached to the solid fuel fire but the European Environment Agency say that in 2018, there were 1,410 premature mortalities arising from air pollution in Ireland alone. The vast majority of these (1,300) can be attributed to emissions of fine particulate matter which result mainly from the burning of solid fuels. For many people, solid fuel is their only source of heating their home and we intend to provide support to retrofit many of these homes over the lifetime of the government. In the meantime, our citizens deserve to have clean air so addressing air pollution is crucial. We want everyone to be able to heat their homes safely and at a reasonable cost but we must ensure that homes are heated in a way that doesn’t cost lives.”
EPA research shows that the contribution of peat to air pollution levels is significant. Consideration needs to be given to options which may restrict the sale and marketing of sod turf, while respecting the traditional practice of turf cutting for personal use only.
While it was originally intended to launch this public consultation alongside the publication of the forthcoming National Clean Air Strategy (CAS), Minister Ryan has now chosen to progress it ahead of the Strategy. This is in recognition of the urgency of taking action on the further regulation of solid fuels. The decision will also allow submissions received during the public consultation process to feed into the Strategy, as the use of solid fuels is one of the most important considerations in Ireland’s ambition to achieve cleaner air overall.
Minister Ryan said: “I am pleased to launch this public consultation, which will inform the development of a comprehensive national regulatory approach to solid fuel burning for home heating, to help us achieve our ambition of cleaner air all across Ireland. It is an opportunity for everyone to consider the issues, input to the process, provide supporting information and data where possible, and make suggestions on the best manner of regulating the use of solid fuel for domestic heating.”
The public consultation will seek views on the regulation of all solid fuels such as peat, turf, and wood which would improve air quality for the benefit of all. It also aims to:
- assess the merits of a national approach to regulating solid fuel;
- determine which solid fuels should be regulated;
- consider how these fuels should be regulated; and
- set out an appropriate timeline for implementation of any new regulations.
Additional Information
The SEAI publishes a Domestic Fuels Comparison of Energy Costs report every three months, and the most recent shows that low smoke coal (ovoids) is the most cost-efficient choice of coal in terms of heat delivered per cent.
The consultation document and submission options are available on gov.ie.
The public consultation will close at 5.30 p.m. on Friday 2 April 2021.
DECC will be intensifying our public engagement around the consultation in the coming weeks on the DECC social media channels, through a national radio ad campaign and through online Town Halls to be announced shortly. Members of the public are asked to choose the lowest-smoke fuel they can and breathe the difference.
Health impacts of solid fuel use
Air quality is a major concern at a global level and is considered the most significant environmental risk to human health. Since the 1990s, medical research has demonstrated links between air pollution and both short and long-term health impacts, including headache, breathing difficulty, eye irritation, and exacerbation of respiratory conditions and increased levels of strokes, cancer, and respiratory and cardiovascular disease.
The European Environment Agency report Air Quality in Europe 2020[3] indicates that in 2018, there were 1,410 premature mortalities arising from air pollution in Ireland. The vast majority of these (1,300) were attributable to fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The same report indicates 16,200 Years of Life Lost, indicating significantly earlier mortality for those deaths.
Regulation of solid fuel is a recognised means of addressing this.
Costs of solid fuels
People have to heat their homes and concern is expressed sometimes about the cost impact of further solid fuel regulation on lower income households who cannot afford to upgrade their heating systems. However, the SEAI publishes a Domestic Fuels Comparison of Energy Costs report every three months, and the most recent[4] shows that low smoke coal (ovoids) is the most cost-efficient choice of coal in terms of heat delivered per cent, and the second most cost-efficient overall:
| Fuel | Cent/kWh |
| Premium Coal (bag) | 6.17 |
| Standard Coal (bag) | 5.98 |
| Low Smoke Ovoids (bag) | 5.73 |
Existing regulations on low smoke zones and national extension
The current low smoke zones currently apply in the following areas:
| Town/City | Year Introduced |
| Dublin | 1990 |
| Cork | 1995 |
| Arklow, Drogheda, Dundalk, Limerick, Wexford | 1998 |
| Celbridge, Galway, Leixlip, Naas, Waterford | 2000 |
| Bray, Kilkenny, Sligo, Tralee | 2003 |
| Athlone, Carlow, Clonmel, Ennis | 2011 |
| Greystones, Letterkenny, Mullingar, Navan, Newbridge, Portlaoise, Wicklow (and Rathnew) | 2013 |
| Maynooth | 2015 |
| Ashbourne, Ballina, Carrigtwohill, Castlebar, Cavan, Cobh, Enniscorthy, Killarney, Longford, Mallow, Midleton, Tramore, Tullamore | 2020 |
[1] According to 2016 Census
2 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2168
3 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2168
4 Dating from January 1st, 2021
