Greece's government
Wednesday ruled out reducing a tax on heating oil despite a sharp increase in
smog resulting from extensive wood-burning.
Crisis-hit Greeks are increasingly shunning
fuel for cheaper firewood to heat their homes, as energy prices have soared
because of tax hikes that are part of the country's EU-IMF bailout deals. Excessive
wood-burning has caused choked skies in Athens and other main cities around the
country, prompting repeated pollution warnings.
At the weekend in Athens' northern suburbs,
particulate matter was double the normal level for the area, approaching what
is considered the alarm threshold of 150 milligrammes per cubic metre. The
three ministers further urged the public to take advantage of heating oil
subsidies and free electricity available to low-income families.
On Monday, the health ministry finalised a
plan offering free power to poorer households when smog exceeds safety levels. Under
the plan, those registered with the state power company's low-income rates are
entitled to two days of free electricity for every day that smog hits the alarm
level.
The smog contains sulphur dioxide, carbon
monoxide and other carcinogens, all dangerous for public health. The economic
crisis that has stalked Greece since 2010 initially caused pollution to dip
because of a drop in automobile traffic.
(Source: phys.org)
