Smoke From Wood Burning Stoves Pose Major Climate and Health Problems
Another potent climate change driver has been on the radar of many scientists lately. The problem is soot emissions from wood fired stoves used extensively throughout the developing world. The soot emissions are believed to be so potent that they are considered by some to be the second biggest driver of climate change after CO2.
The NYT reports:
While carbon dioxide may be the No. 1 contributor to rising global temperatures, scientists say, black carbon has emerged as an important No. 2, with recent studies estimating that it is responsible for 18 percent of the planet’s warming, compared with 40 percent for carbon dioxide. Decreasing black carbon emissions would be a relatively cheap way to significantly rein in global warming – especially in the short term, climate experts say. Replacing primitive cooking stoves with modern versions that emit far less soot could provide a much-needed stopgap, while nations struggle with the more difficult task of enacting programs and developing technologies to curb carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.
[And] unlike carbon dioxide, which lingers in the atmosphere for years, soot stays there for a few weeks.
In order to minimize soot emissions, wood stoves must be outfitted with basic smoke stack technologies such as filters and scrubbers. Retrofitting home burners with filters would not only mitigate climate change, but it would provide locals with much safer breathing air, as particulate pollution is extremely unhealthy for human lungs. Whether this can be accomplished will depend on whether the international community can come together to fund a widespread program. This will be necessary since some of the worst particulate polluters are often some of the world’s poorest people.
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Comments
8 Comments on Smoke From Wood Burning Stoves Pose Major Climate and Health Problems
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Linda Karr on
Thu, 16th Apr 2009 12:12 pm
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cjohnson on
Sat, 6th Jun 2009 2:37 pm
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mark oliver on
Sat, 20th Jun 2009 8:28 pm
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Kim Blank on
Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 12:45 pm
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tim m on
Fri, 28th Aug 2009 5:31 am
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Nathan Bionaz on
Wed, 16th Dec 2009 6:32 pm
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R. on
Wed, 10th Mar 2010 4:33 pm
1st world soot exists, and we should know better than to allow it in the U.S. Wood smoke particulate emissions in Maine contribute more to total particulates in that state than auto emissions, because approximately half of Maine residents use wood to heat their homes. RAWSEP (Residents against wood smoke particulate emissions) is a group of residents who have had their health impaired by their neighbor’s wood smoke. The Black Carbon Reduction Bill introduced in the House of Representatives on March 26, 2009 seeks to reduce allowable emissions from wood burning devices. The upgrades of wood burning device standards by the EPA is expected to be ready for a public period by fall 2009. Eliminate wood burning from your lives, so your neighbors can live healthy lives. Support the right of your fellow Americans to breathe free air without having to move from their homes to do it. Tell wood burning people you know to use natural gas (the price has gone down 75% recently) as a bridge to the goal of geothermal, solar, wind or wave power for home heating and residential hot water heating. When you burn wood, you are polluting the planet. Soot is the 2nd leading cause of global warming and ending soot production is the quickest way to slow climate change.
The reason these cooking stoves produce so much smoke is because people attempt to modulate the heat output to meet the needs for cooking – keeping a low, smoldering fire allows for much more heat control than a hot fire which would burn relatively cleanly.
A new stove design with some type of thermal storage (large mass of metal or masonry) which can capture and slowly disperse the heat of a hot, small fire would allow wood to be used with less pollution compared with the large, smoldering fires currently used.
The design has to be as simple and maintenance-free as possible; anything reliant upon some active engineered system (filters, scrubbers, etc.) will surely fail soon after installation and remain that way because casual users will not care to deal with them.
global warming is hog wash liberal fraud !!!!!
Your numbers and science don’t add up. Many, many scientists refute Al Gore’s statements and what the Obama Administration is touting. Do you realize 30 years ago this same group of people were scaring the public by stating the world was turning colder!!! Yes, the New York Times reported this and many other liberal outlets. What say you now? Give us our freedoms & liberty back…quit trying to destroy this great country.
Seiously folks, this would be halarious if it weren’t so sad that you believe it. If you honestly believe what Al Gore or the Obama-nites are putting out you need to step into reality. I know the truth is that you will never be able to be convinced of the flaws in your thought process so I won’t even try but, I do want you to know that those who cling to God & guns & firewood will eventually be the ones you run to to help you when the government fails you.
I am a West Slope Colorado wood burner. When we complain about particulate pollution I think we really need to complain about the individual producing it. My 1950s home has a stone and mortar Superior fireplace built in and I recently added a brand new EPA certified woodstove as a primary heat source. I cut and burn only the deadest, most well seasoned Rocky Mountain Juniper wood from my local designated wood cutting area with permits. Living in a crowded urban neighborhood, I closely monitor my smoke emisions by watching my chimneys while they are burning and my emissions are near zero, there is a little smoke while the flue heats up, maybe if I ignore the fire for a few hours it will smoke a little. I see alot more smoke, or steam or whatever comming out of neighboring natural gas chiminies,and the local steakhouse every day. It really depends alot on the wood that you are burning and I go to great labor to bring down the best, cleanest burning, nice smelling, bug repellant, top notch firewood in town.
The pollution caused by wood burning (the biggest single source of smog in many places) is hurting the health of countless people in neighborhoods across North America, especially those who suffer from asthma, allergies, or other respiratory health problems. No amount of smoke is safe to breathe. Switching to cleaner fuels can help everyone breathe easier.
Please contribute to the discussion by leaving a comment below. No need to agree with the post or other commenters, but please be constructive and respectful.
Adam Reply:
November 17th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
if you don’t like my wood stove either move or pay for my natural gas stove installation and fuel to replace the free heat I receive from burning trees that grow on my land. Keep your damn big government out of my life. If anyone wants to stop me from using wood to keep my family warm they will have to enter my home to do it.
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