Parisians can keep home fires burning
Prefecture in capital issues decree overturning controversial ban on open log fires due to come into force on January 1.
A CONTROVERSIAL ban on open fires in Paris has been overturned days before it was due to come into force.
From January 1 open log fires in Paris and parts of Ile-de-France were set to be outlawed after a study in 2013 that claimed they were as polluting as vehicles.
But air quality monitor Airparif has said that 39% of fine particle emissions in the capital come from cars and only 4% from wood fires.
Yesterday, the prefecture of Paris issued a decree that stopped the ban. Local authorities across Ile-de-France are set to follow suit in the coming days.
As reported, environment minister Ségolène Royal said earlier this month that she would work to overturn what she described as a “ridiculous” order, which had been issued by the Ile-de-France regional council in 2013, and would have applied to 435 communes in departments surrounding the French capital.
Ms Royal said she was "very surprised" by the move, adding: "It seems excessive. I want people to become more aware of pollution but this decision was a bit absurd, even if it was well-intentioned."
Pollution in Paris has been a hot topic in 2014. The air quality in the French capital has been likened to being in a room full of smokers, while the pollution crisis in the city earlier in the year, prompted authorities to impose vehicle restrictions.
Photo: Abi Skipp
