Author(s)

K. L. Rainey, M. Vaganay, S. MacIntyre

School of the Built Environment, Ulster University, Jordanstown, Northern Ireland.

This paper is intended to source literature, identifying the adverse impacts on human health, from the pollutants released from residential burning from both fossil fuel and biomass sources. The literature sourced was ascertained through the conduction of a systematic literature review. The author assessed peer-reviewed English language articles, which had been published within the last five years. The studies reviewed indicated a clear increase in the burning of residential solid fuels. The findings suggest that residential solid fuel combustion is occurring in developed countries, primarily as a secondary source of heating during the winter months. The study concluded that similarly to bituminous coal, the domestic burning of wood also had adverse effects on human health. The intentions of UK Climate Change Act 2008 are to achieve an 80% reduction by the year 2050 in the net carbon account from the 1990 baseline. It is recommended for countries to meet the European 2050 targets, long-term measures need to be adopted. This includes switching from residential solid fuel burning to heating methods such as oil and gas, which are necessary in improving overall air quality and public health.

Residential Solid Fuel, Health Impacts, Developed Countries, Air Pollutants, Climate Change

Rainey, K. , Vaganay, M. and MacIntyre, S. (2016) A Review of Literature on Residential Solid Fuel Burning, and Consequently the Implications of Meeting the European 2050 Low-Carbon Targets. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 4, 7-13. doi: 10.4236/gep.2016.44002.