EIR - Health harms of wood burning [Oct 2024]

Request:  

1. What, if any, messaging around the health harms of wood burning is the Mayor/GLA planning to deliver in this wood burning season 2024/25?
2. If so, which channels will be used and for how long?

Response:

Please find below the information we hold within the scope of your request

The Mayor is committed to tackling pollution across London, and this includes emissions from Woodburning. He agrees that more should be done to reduce the impact of wood burning on the public’s health, particularly those who are vulnerable. The Mayor is working with London’s boroughs to address emissions from wood burning through the London Wood Burning Working Group; The London Wood Burning Project; the London Local Air Quality Management Framework; and through support and advice on campaigns and research, including with Global Action Plan and Impact on Urban Health.  

The Mayor is supporting the London Wood Burning Project (LWBP)’s MAQF project, which is building training assets for borough officers to help them with enforcement of smoke control areas and to continue delivering a wood burning awareness campaign through the use of campaign materials, advertising and social media. We are also working with LWBP to explore how we can support the project’s communications campaign for the wood burning season 2024/25.

Clean Air Night (CAN) is the sister campaign to Clean Air Day, organised by Global Action Plan (GAP), aimed at raising awareness of the impacts of wood burning on air quality, and encouraging the public to reconsider buying and using stoves and fireplaces. We supported the first Clean Air Night in January 2024. GAP have invited the GLA to join CAN as a supporter for 2025, following the success of this year’s campaign. We are working with GAP to explore how we can support Clean Air Night for another year. 

We also organise the London Wood Burning Working Group, a working group of London boroughs that meets quarterly to discuss action on wood burning. We are scheduling the next working group for the autumn to discuss actions for this coming winter.

More information and guidance for wood burning in London can be found on https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-and-strategies/environment-and-climate-change/pollution-and-air-quality/guidance-wood-burning-london

The GLA Environment team provide regular updates on air quality in London, including wood burning on their Twitter page (@LDN_Environment).