The UK government has instructed local authorities to enforce penalties, including fines up to £300 or possible criminal charges, for individuals who persistently ignore state climate regulations by using wood-burning stoves for heating.
This type of scenario could potentially occur in the United States, as there is already a growing movement to ban gas stoves. Wood-burning stoves could be next.
As Britain faces an energy crisis in part due to the implementation of green policies at the expense of tapping into the nation’s more reliable natural resources, such as natural gas, the popularity of wood-burning stoves has increased significantly over the past several years.
After governments were urged to phase out all non-eco-friendly energy sources, leading to a historic energy crisis, they are now ordering people to face criminal charges just for wanting to stay warm.
This winter in Britain, a growing number of individuals are incurring debt and enduring freezing or humid living conditions due to the surge in energy costs, contributing to the country’s inflation rate surpassing 10%.
How is this sustainable? How is forcing people into “fuel poverty” going to save the environment?
According to The Times of London, local authorities have received instructions from the Westminster government to enforce spot fines of £175 to £300 on individuals who use non-compliant wood-fire stoves that contribute to air pollution. The enforcement will be carried out through the 2021 Environment Act.
Local councils were informed that persistent code violators might face criminal prosecution, which could result in a criminal record, as well as fines of up to £5,000 and an additional £2,500 for each day that wood is used for heating purposes.
A report from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has cast doubt on the effectiveness of eliminating wood-burning stoves in reducing air pollution. The report found that the contribution of wood-burning stoves to PM2.5 particulate emissions is much lower than previously estimated, with the revised figure standing at only 17% compared to the initial claim of 38%.
Once again, regular citizens have to lower their standard of living over some arbitrary emissions quotas. It is doubtful all of this will end until we can’t access energy at all.
