Photo by Barry Wallace
Burning pallets in the Holland Marsh
Starting in October, Montreal has acted on a 20-year-old air pollution problem that started with the ice storm of 1998. 35 people died and 1,000 were injured in what was considered one of the worst disasters in Canadian history. At it peak, more than 3 million people were without power, some for many weeks. Citizens rushed to install wood burners to remain warm and prepare for a repeat of ice and snow storms. Over the past decade Montreal has been plagued by winter smogs from home wood-burning. The city had to act as 38% of particle omissions came from home wood-burning. This winter only fireplaces and stoves that meet the latest standards can be used and new rules will ban wood-burning during smogs. Cities across Europe also struggle with air pollution from wood-burning. In the UK wood burning now accounts for nearly 40% of harmful particle emissions. Clean Air Zones, set up after London's 1952 smog, should ban open fires in most cities and define standards for stoves (though not as strict as those in Canada), but they appear to have fallen into disuse.
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Barry Wallace
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