Boris ban on coal and wet wood is bad politics but good policy

Soggy logs are at the centre of an unlikely media firestorm after the government announced that sales of the most polluting domestic fuels – coal and damp wood – will start to be phased out. Selling bags of coal and small quantities of wet wood will be prohibited by February 2021 and sales of loose coal will be banned by 2023.

The aim is to encourage a move to cleaner alternatives as part of the government’s Clean Air Strategy. The ban will only apply in England because policy on air pollution is devolved, although similar proposals are being considered in Wales and Scotland.

The news has been met with uproar. Around 2.5 million homes rely on these fuels – many in poorer, rural areas – and there are fears that the ban will exacerbate fuel poverty by forcing people to switch to expensive alternatives. The policy looks like the sort of nanny-state meddling the Tories usually rail against and some are painting it as a death knell for a defining feature of British country life – the roaring log fire.

Sensible thinking underpins the ban, however. Coal has long been the bête noire of environmentalists and for good reason. Burning coal is a highly inefficient way of generating heat and releases large quantities of CO2 along with mercury, lead and tiny polluting particles known as PM2.5 that cause lung cancer, heart disease and respiratory problems.

The less notorious polluter, wet wood – defined as having a moisture content of over 20% – is the cheap, unseasoned sort you can buy in DIY stores and garden centres. When burned, the moisture released from wood acts as a vector for air pollutants, including PM2.5. According to government figures, coal and wet wood are the largest source of PM2.5 pollution in the UK, accounting for 38% of total emissions – three times as much as road transport.

But annoyance is understandable. The policy has brought back memories of the diesel controversy, when motorists were for years encouraged by the government to buy diesel vehicles before being told they were actually more polluting than petrol models. Similarly, fire-enthusiasts have been splashing out on wood-burning stoves believing their environmental impact was negligible. A policy U-turn is now punishing them for doing so.

Concerns about fuel poverty should also be taken seriously. The Coal Merchants Federation of Great Britain – admittedly not an impartial arbiter – has warned that households who rely on coal face a 30-50% increase in their annual fuel bills. Some increase seems inevitable.

This being said, the ban is unlikely to mean the end of the cosy hearth. For one thing, wood and coal-burning stoves themselves are not being banned. Loopholes and problems with enforcement will also temper the policy’s impact. There will be nothing to stop people burning un-dried tree cuttings they collect from their gardens. The government has no power to check people’s homes, so there’ll be no knock on the door from the Log Inspector to see if your kindling is too moist. Similarly, it’s hard to imagine local councils finding the money to inspect garage forecourts.

Inevitably, owners of wood burners, stoves and open fires will have to adapt. The solution is to source seasoned and kiln-dried logs which burn more efficiently and cleanly. Wood briquettes, made of compressed saw-dust and wood-chip, are already popular. Coal substitutes, like the smokeless Coalite, are far superior, though currently pricier. Pressure will mount on the government to start subsidising “manufactured solid fuels” which it cites as the best alternative.

Some will consider this interference unacceptable. Many, though, will see the disruption as a price worth paying for something quite refreshing – a government taking its environmental commitments seriously.