What is the risk of air quality deterioration during the next heating season, which will be the result of the energy crisis and the fact that due to energy poverty, some citizens may throw various types of waste into combustion furnaces?
In the situation of a significant share of dirty combustion energy in the total energy sector, as well as in the situation of coal shortages and rising prices of various types of fossil fuels, unfair, unethical practices appear for sale of waste advertised as substitutes for fossil fuels. There are anti-environmental and anti-climatic, misleading citizens, sales offers on the Internet, the so-called "rubber eco-pea coal" made of ground tires, which is unfair practice of selling waste offered as substitutes for other combustion fuels. This type of unethical and extremely anti-environmental, anti-climatic practices result from many years of neglect of energy policy consisting in inhibiting the development of renewable and zero-emission energy sources, many years of supporting the development of dirty energy based on coal combustion and, consequently, not preparing the energy sector for the energy crisis, ignoring the progressing global warming process, leading to a low level of energy security, low air quality, and frequent smog in many cities in Poland. In economies where most of the electricity and heat is generated by burning fossil fuels, a shortage of these fuels creates a risk of increased fuel poverty and incineration of waste in furnaces. As a result, the level of air pollution in the next heating season (fall-winter 2022) may increase significantly. Burning plastic and rubber waste generates carcinogenic chemicals that are present in the air. Therefore, due to the current energy crisis, the air quality in the country in which I operate may drop significantly in the coming months.
In view of the above, I address the following research question to the Honorable Community of Researchers and Scientists:
To what extent can the energy crisis translate into increased pollution and deterioration of air quality?
What do you think about it?
What is your opinion on this topic?
Please reply,
I invite everyone to the discussion,
Thank you very much,
Best regards,
Dariusz Prokopowicz
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