Asthma Society of Ireland launches campaign to ban Smoky Coal
The Asthma Society of Ireland (ASI) is the national charity dedicated to empowering Ireland's 470,000 people with asthma to take control of their asthma by providing them and their families with information, education, services and support. With this in mind ASI came forth to Insight Consultants with a challenge – to assist them in gaining awareness and support in obtaining an All Ireland Smoky Coal Ban.
ASI had also been campaigning to prohibit the storing, distributing and burning of smoky coal as it is detrimental to Ireland’s quality of air, risking the lives of Irish people on a daily basis. Insight Consultants were tasked with putting together an awareness campaign to highlight this.
The ASI have been concerned about the impact the burning of coal has on the health of the public in towns and cities not covered by the existing ban on smoky coal in Ireland. Originally a ban was put in place in Dublin in 1990, which banned the sale and marketing of bituminous coal in the capital. This ban led to an improvement in air quality and a major reduction in related deaths. A study published in the Lancet in 2002 showed a reduction in deaths each year of some 359 lives per annum in Dublin alone.
The ASI worked out a national strategy, with the advice of Insight Consultants, to elevate this issue on to the table of politicians. A previous report for The Department of Health in 2008 showed that Ireland had the highest rate of lung disease in Europe
And called for action to be taken but the report was not implimented.
Insight Consultants task at hand was much more than a straight forward PR campaign. This was a life changing exercise for people with asthma and other respiratory conditions in Ireland. In order to make the public aware of the effects of smoky coal Insight Consultants sought the support from Minister Alan Kelly and other key political influencers to ensure that the seriousness of this campaign home really hit home.
ASI had also been campaigning to prohibit the storing, distributing and burning of smoky coal as it is detrimental to Ireland’s quality of air, risking the lives of Irish people on a daily basis. Insight Consultants were tasked with putting together an awareness campaign to highlight this.
The ASI have been concerned about the impact the burning of coal has on the health of the public in towns and cities not covered by the existing ban on smoky coal in Ireland. Originally a ban was put in place in Dublin in 1990, which banned the sale and marketing of bituminous coal in the capital. This ban led to an improvement in air quality and a major reduction in related deaths. A study published in the Lancet in 2002 showed a reduction in deaths each year of some 359 lives per annum in Dublin alone.
The ASI worked out a national strategy, with the advice of Insight Consultants, to elevate this issue on to the table of politicians. A previous report for The Department of Health in 2008 showed that Ireland had the highest rate of lung disease in Europe
And called for action to be taken but the report was not implimented.
Insight Consultants task at hand was much more than a straight forward PR campaign. This was a life changing exercise for people with asthma and other respiratory conditions in Ireland. In order to make the public aware of the effects of smoky coal Insight Consultants sought the support from Minister Alan Kelly and other key political influencers to ensure that the seriousness of this campaign home really hit home.
Programme Planning and Strategy
In September of 2015, on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the original ban in Dublin, Minister Alan Kelly announced that an all island smoky coal ban would be extended nationwide by 2018.
This represented a huge result for the ASI as Ireland will become the first coal smoke free country in Europe. It marks the culmination of a large scale campaign in tandem with Insight Consultants to protect public health.
This was done by raising awareness, conducting detailed research on air quality, engaging the public and policy makers and building an alliance of interest groups. A cornerstone of the campaign was to work with policy makers North and South of the border to seek a nation wide ban.
The support of the media was vital and we needed to get an understanding that while a ban was in place for large towns and cities, a majority of towns had no ban and in the absence of a total ban it was too easy for people to flout the rules and buy their coal from suppliers located just outside the town boundary.
The enforcement staff in local authorities were very familiar with how the ban was being flouted and warmly welcomed a total ban approach which would make policing more realistic.
This represented a huge result for the ASI as Ireland will become the first coal smoke free country in Europe. It marks the culmination of a large scale campaign in tandem with Insight Consultants to protect public health.
This was done by raising awareness, conducting detailed research on air quality, engaging the public and policy makers and building an alliance of interest groups. A cornerstone of the campaign was to work with policy makers North and South of the border to seek a nation wide ban.
The support of the media was vital and we needed to get an understanding that while a ban was in place for large towns and cities, a majority of towns had no ban and in the absence of a total ban it was too easy for people to flout the rules and buy their coal from suppliers located just outside the town boundary.
The enforcement staff in local authorities were very familiar with how the ban was being flouted and warmly welcomed a total ban approach which would make policing more realistic.
How We Did It
The ASI established a broad based coalition of interested parties on health and the environment. This group began a campaign to push for such a ban. The campaign was supported by key health experts and environmental groups. The umbrella group was recommended by Insight Consultants and was called the INHALE Alliance (Irelands Needs Healthy Lungs and Lower Emissions)
The Alliance was made up of a group of thought leaders on respiratory health and the environment in Ireland.
The INHALE Alliance from day one had a very willing Department of the Environment who were concerned about how to improve air quality in Ireland. We also met a very attentive Minister who was aware of the plight of many rural towns and villages and the problems caused by smoky coal.
However, the Solid Fuel Trade Group made up of the solid fuel trade North and South were vehemently against a ban.
The ASI ran a highly visible campaign on the dangers of burning coal to human health.
These included:
The seminars in Dublin and Belfast made a huge impact. The research by the UCC Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry on Killarney and Enniscorthy was a major source of concern as the impact of PMs (small articles ) on coronary disease as well as lung cancer is well established. UCC could prove that the major source of air pollution in Irish towns was the burning of coal in the evening period. For the first time air quality was being measured at short time intervals both day and night and for the very first time UCC could prove the chemical source of the pollution. Up to that point we were all working on average daily values. The research showed that between 5pm and 9pm the air was polluted to a level as much as 15 times higher than the WHO target figure.
A major conference was scheduled for September 2015 to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Dublin ban. Minister Alan Kelly announced the decision to extend the ban nationwide at his keynote address at this conference. Our work was done!
The Alliance was made up of a group of thought leaders on respiratory health and the environment in Ireland.
The INHALE Alliance from day one had a very willing Department of the Environment who were concerned about how to improve air quality in Ireland. We also met a very attentive Minister who was aware of the plight of many rural towns and villages and the problems caused by smoky coal.
However, the Solid Fuel Trade Group made up of the solid fuel trade North and South were vehemently against a ban.
The ASI ran a highly visible campaign on the dangers of burning coal to human health.
These included:
- A nationwide survey was carried out on attitudes to coal and clean air.
- An outreach to local authorities, which led to local campaigns in Cork and a call from Wexford County Council to ban the sale of coal in Wexford.
- Seminars were held in Dublin and Belfast at the Mansion House involving global and local experts on the impact of coal burning on health. Leading author US Prof. Alan Lockwood and local physicians together with scientists from UCC who outlined very detailed results of air pollution in towns not covered by the ban which showed that air pollution was some 15 times higher than the WHO target levels for air pollution, towns such as Enniscorthy and Killarney.
- The ASI used local advocates in the areas affected e.g. in Wexford a board member from Enniscorthy who lost her son to an asthma attack. We also had a teenage Irish Champion Kick Boxer from Wexford and Dr. John Wenger from the CRAC in UCC who were very willing to engage with the media about air pollution and the work the EPA had commissioned on the non ban towns.
- Public Information ads were run on radio and in the press and strong public affairs and lobbying campaign was undertaken by the advocacy and public policy section of the ASI.
- Support was garnered also from like-minded groups in the UK such as the British Lung Foundation and others.
The seminars in Dublin and Belfast made a huge impact. The research by the UCC Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry on Killarney and Enniscorthy was a major source of concern as the impact of PMs (small articles ) on coronary disease as well as lung cancer is well established. UCC could prove that the major source of air pollution in Irish towns was the burning of coal in the evening period. For the first time air quality was being measured at short time intervals both day and night and for the very first time UCC could prove the chemical source of the pollution. Up to that point we were all working on average daily values. The research showed that between 5pm and 9pm the air was polluted to a level as much as 15 times higher than the WHO target figure.
A major conference was scheduled for September 2015 to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Dublin ban. Minister Alan Kelly announced the decision to extend the ban nationwide at his keynote address at this conference. Our work was done!
Results
The campaign to get an nationwide ban on smoky coal reached a successful campaign in September 2015. On the 25th anniversary of the orginal ban, Minister Alan Kelly announced that the Smoky Coal Ban would be extended nationwide by 2018 and make Ireland set to be the first smoky coal free country in Europe.
This ban will save thousands of lives and countless people in urban Ireland will avoid the harmful effect of burning smoky coal. It was proved that small particles contained in air pollution from burning coal can cause cancer, strokes, coronary diease and exacerbate lung dieases such as asthma. It will improve air quality over the Winter period in every town and city in Ireland.
The government have also agreed implementation measures which will increase fines and improve enforcement, in addition fuels containing biomass will have an exemption from carbon tax on their biomess content. This has already boosted the sale of low smoke greener fuels that contain up to 50% biomass.
A positive side effect of the ban is that three solid fuel companies in Ireland have commenced manufacturing three new solid fuels plants which will create over 250 new jobs locally and substitute import of smoky coal.
The extensive nationwide coverage ensured that The Asthma Society of Ireland were seen to be leaders of the campaign to ban Smoky Coal.
This ban will save thousands of lives and countless people in urban Ireland will avoid the harmful effect of burning smoky coal. It was proved that small particles contained in air pollution from burning coal can cause cancer, strokes, coronary diease and exacerbate lung dieases such as asthma. It will improve air quality over the Winter period in every town and city in Ireland.
The government have also agreed implementation measures which will increase fines and improve enforcement, in addition fuels containing biomass will have an exemption from carbon tax on their biomess content. This has already boosted the sale of low smoke greener fuels that contain up to 50% biomass.
A positive side effect of the ban is that three solid fuel companies in Ireland have commenced manufacturing three new solid fuels plants which will create over 250 new jobs locally and substitute import of smoky coal.
The extensive nationwide coverage ensured that The Asthma Society of Ireland were seen to be leaders of the campaign to ban Smoky Coal.
