A Review of Literature on Residential Solid Fuel Burning, and Consequently the Implications of Meeting the European 2050 Low-Carbon Targets

摘要

This paper is intended to sourceliterature, identifying the adverse impacts on human health, from thepollutants released from residential burning from both fossil fuel and biomasssources. The literature sourced was ascertained through the conduction of asystematic literature review. The author assessed peer-reviewed English languagearticles, which had been published within the last five years. The studiesreviewed indicated a clear increase in the burning of residential solid fuels.The findings suggest that residential solid fuel combustion is occurring indeveloped countries, primarily as a secondary source of heating during thewinter months. The study concluded that similarly to bituminous coal, the domesticburning of wood also had adverse effects on human health. The intentions of UKClimate Change Act 2008 are to achieve an 80% reduction by the year 2050 in thenet carbon account from the 1990 baseline. It is recommended for countries tomeet the European 2050 targets, long-term measures need to be adopted. Thisincludes switching from residential solid fuel burning to heating methods suchas oil and gas, which are necessary in improving overall air quality and publichealth.