Minister for Climate Action Eamon Ryan has said that the alarmingly high levels of air pollution in Dublin last weekend highlighted the need to tackle the underlying issues of particulates from fossil fuels. “Unfortunately the situation is probably being exacerbated by Level 5 restrictions, where more people are staying at home burning wood, coal and peat,” he told The Irish Times. He said the smoky coal ban must be extended nationwide to protect lives. “We cannot return to the pollution we had in the days of smoky coal. Moving away from burning coal and peat was “a win-win” for the climate and air pollution, but also Ireland’s balance sheet as 90 per cent of all fossil fuels used in the State were imported.

Source: The Irish Times December 01, 2020 21:04 UTC