In 2008 the government strategy “Clean Air for All” was published. It will be followed up by the Air Action Plan, to be published in 2009.
Purification of smoke from wood burning stoves At the beginning of 2009, Karen Marie Kjeldgaard took part in a series of tests organised by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency on the purification of smoke from her wood burning stove. She lives in an electrically heated house and during the winter months lights her small Andersen-4 wood burner every day.
”As much as from an economic point of view, lighting the wood burner symbolises cosiness for me. But you have to make sure to use clean, dry wood, otherwise you irritate your neighbours and harm the environment. I was happy to participate in the test, because I would like to help minimize particle pollution".
People need to be able to lead healthy lives in towns. The effects of air pollution must be limited. Emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere must be brought down to levels that do not have an adverse effect on the environment and on health.
Environmental zones The government has given a number of larger municipalities the opportunity to set up environmental zones, which require the fitting of particle filters on trucks and buses that weigh more than three tonnes. The municipalities of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, and Aalborg have all introduced environmental zones, and Odense and Århus are on the way. Environmental zones mean cleaner air for all those who live, work in or visit the cities.
Wood burning stoves A new government executive order on wood burning stoves came into force in 2008. Its aim is to limit the amount of pollution from wood burning stoves. The Danish Ministry of the Environment has further more set up a grant scheme of more than DKK 7 million for the development, testing and demonstration of technologies that can contribute to reducing pollution from wood burning stoves in private homes.
Shipping Around half of the particle pollution in Danish towns comes from outside the country and quite a significant amount of this emanates from shipping. Denmark has worked energetically for cleaner shipping through the IMO, the UN shipping organisation which, in 2008 approved new, more stringent regulations for pollution from shipping. The Danish Environmental Protection Agency and the Danish Shipowners' Association have entered into a partnership to promote cleaner shipping and develop new environmental technologies to reduce pollution from shipping.
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