14 DAY TRIAL // High officials in the city of Krakow, Poland have announced that, starting the year 2018, it will be illegal for this urban area's residents to use coal to heat their homes. Besides, they will also be banned from using wood to keep warm during the winter months.
The new legislation limiting the use of coal in this Polish city is expected to first and foremost benefit public health. Specifically, high officials say that, once the ban is officially instituted, local air quality will significantly improve and the number of yearly pollution-related deaths will plummet.
“Hundreds of people are dying each year because of air pollution. This resolution is a precedent on a national scale, it will introduce many changes in Poland and the region,” Deputy Marshal of the assembly Wojciech Kozak explains, as cited by Think Progress.
Reports show that, for the time being, about 35,000 homes in Krakow's central area rely on coal for heating. What's more, some 50% of the city's total emissions during the winter months are produced by coal-powered domestic stoves.