Council asks Cork City residents to burn less solid fuel in Clean Air Night initiative

Solid fuel use is one of the biggest sources of air pollution, with an estimated 1,300 premature deaths in Ireland each year directly linked to the burning of coal, wood, peat and briquettes

Data from the European Environment Agency shows that air pollution can have negative impacts on human health, especially on the lungs and hearts, with air pollution contributing to 1,600 premature deaths in Ireland annually. Picture: Clare Keogh

Cork City residents have been asked to burn less solid fuel in their home fires as part of a one-night citywide initiative to improve air quality.

Cork City Council said the occupiers of every household with a stove or fire can play their part in fighting air pollution if they get involved in its Clean Air Night initiative on Friday, January 24.

It has invited people to reduce the amount of solid fuel they burn in their stoves or fireplaces on that evening, or to even consider lighting their fire a little later in the evening.

Data from the European Environment Agency shows that air pollution can have negative impacts on human health, especially on the lungs and hearts, with air pollution contributing to 1,600 premature deaths in Ireland annually.

Solid fuel use is one of the biggest sources of air pollution, with an estimated 1,300 of these deaths directly linked to the burning of coal, wood, peat and briquettes.

In an effort to reduce its effects, the government introduced new solid fuel regulations in October 2022 to remove the most polluting fuels from the market by increasing the technical standards for fuels to ensure only lower smoke products are available for sale.

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But each winter, the annual increase in the burning of fossil fuels leads to a deterioration in air quality in Cork City, where certain winter atmospheric conditions such as temperature inversions and slack winds can combine to trap pollutants in the valley of the River Lee.

A spokesman for the city council said: “Cork City Council is cognisant of the issues surrounding energy poverty and is aware that some households may need to light their fires or stoves for heating purposes, especially during cold periods,” he said.

“Many residents rely on solid fuel to maintain adequate levels of heat in their homes. Participation in Clean Air Night is completely voluntary and is part of ongoing initiatives to raise awareness about the wider health issues of air pollution.” 

The council, which launched an air quality strategy in 2021, displays real-time air quality measures from a network of locations across Cork City using Ireland’s first citywide network of low-cost PM2.5 sensors, developed by the council in association with the Centre for Research into Atmospheric Chemistry at UCC.

The sensors measure the hourly average concentrations of particulate matter with a diameter less than or equal to 2.5 micrometres — the air pollutant most harmful to public health. See corkairquality.ie and cleanairnight.ie for more information on simple steps for cleaner air.