Air pollution in England halved since 2003 but public remain at risk

IFS report says 29% of UK’s PM2.5 emissions came from domestic burning of wood and other fuels in 2022, as CIEH urges regulation of domestic solid wood burners

Air pollution in England, specifically levels of PM2.5  — tiny particles that penetrate deep into the lungs — has halved since 2003, with a large and lasting decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. The drop has been particularly large for ethnic minorities.

These are among the findings of new Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, on air pollution across England over the last 20 years. 

Despite this improvement, almost everyone in England is still exposed to levels of air pollution that the World Health Organisation (WHO) associates with significant public health risks.

Bobbie Upton, Research Economist at IFS and an author of the report, said, “There is growing evidence that fine particulate air pollution is extremely damaging for health, particularly for children and the elderly. It is hard to fully explain the striking drop in air pollution that started in 2020, during the COVID pandemic. New clean air zones in several of England’s largest cities and reduced steel production may have both played a role.” 

The report also warns that 29% of PM2.5 emissions in the UK came from domestic burning of wood and other fuels in 2022, higher proportionally than any other source and “the only source of PM2.5 emissions that has increased” over the period covered in the research. According to the report “three quarters of the domestic combustion emissions of PM2.5 came from woodburning in 2022”.

Mark Elliott, President of CIEH, said, “It is heartening to hear these findings that suggest air pollution in England has reached a 20-year low which shows work being done to reduce pollution, such as clean air zones in several of England’s largest cities, may be having a positive impact.

“However, the trend of growing emissions of PM2.5 from domestic wood burning is worrying and cannot continue if we are serious about protecting both the environment and public health.

“CIEH is therefore reiterating its call for the UK Government to regulate the sale and use of domestic solid wood burners in urban areas…” 

“CIEH is therefore reiterating its call for the UK Government to regulate the sale and use of domestic solid wood burners in urban areas where there are on-grid heating alternatives. Rather than provide heating to homes they have become typical aspirational goods which harms the quality of our air, damages the environment and threatens public health.” 

Researchers from the University of Birmingham concur that biomass burning, primarily from woodburning activities, contributes significantly to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels in the West Midlands – accounting for some 20% of the total PM2.5 mass. The findings will be published in the February 2025 issue of Atmospheric Environment.

Exposure to elevated PM_2.5 levels poses severe health risks, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, low birthweight, and increased mortality rates. The University of Birmingham study estimates that reducing woodburning emissions could significantly decrease mortality and life-years lost due to air pollution in the West Midlands.

Lead investigator of the study, Professor Zongbo Shi commented, “We need to see immediate and coordinated actions at local and national levels to reduce wood burning, improve air quality - including enhancement and enforcement of smoke control areas to curb emissions from woodburning stoves and open fires. This has great potential to reduce PM2.5-related health risks and decrease mortality in the region.”

The Stove Industry Association (SIA) countered that the IFS report notes the tendency to “overestimate the importance of woodburning” and highlights the complexity and challenges in correctly apportioning the PM2.5 that is monitored in England to a specific source.