Stop Toxic Air Pollution Caused By Wood-Burning Stoves

Target: Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency

Goal: Encourage and enact stronger protections against eco wood stoves responsible for massive air pollution.

Efforts to curb pollution often rightfully focus on industry and transportation. Yet a significant source of air pollution has gone mostly unnoticed and unregulated. Wood burners like so-called eco wood stoves can contribute as much as 750 times more particle air pollution into the atmosphere than a heavy-duty truck. This type of pollution is especially dangerous because its smaller particles can more easily penetrate the lungs and cause damaging and even deadly health problems for living beings, including humans.

Despite the threats presented by these products, they will soon be in wide distribution across the European Union and the United Kingdom. New dictates will only allow the sale of hyped-up eco wood stoves as of 2022. Even though this rule is supposed to benefit the environment, regulators have imposed far weaker standards on eco wood stoves than on heavily polluting transportation vehicles. Researchers estimate current standards will enable the pollution of one million cubic meters of air for every wood stove in use.

Sign the petition below to urge the European Union to strengthen safeguards for environmental foes masquerading as environmental friends.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Bruyninckx,

The upcoming mass rollout of eco wood stoves should be urgently reconsidered. These wood-burning products are not environmentally friendly but are actually quite the opposite. Wood burning accounts for half of tiny particle pollution in the European Union. An estimated 40,000 die from exposure to this lethal pollution every year.

Current standards for the eco wood stove are sorely and dangerously lacking. The amount of tiny particle pollution that will be permitted from these stoves greatly surpasses the pollution levels allowed by heavy-duty trucks. Yet the stove, studies suggest, will pump 750 times as much pollution into the atmosphere as the truck.

Please tighten these environmental and health-hazardous loopholes. On a broader level, enact stricter regulations on the damaging practice of wood-burning as a whole.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Rachel Claire