On 30 September, the Cool Heating Coalition and members European Environmental Bureau (EEB) launched the new Coolproducts study on the health and safety risks associated with combustion-based heating and cooking systems.
83% of European homes still rely on fossil fuel-based systems, contributing not only to volatile energy and greenhouse gas emissions but also to preventable injuries and fatalities. The report found that every year, 2 to 4 hospital-treated injuries per 1 million EU inhabitants occur due to fossil fuel heating and cooking. In Eastern Europe, 5,000-6,000 deaths were recorded due to carbon monoxide poisoning in 2021 – as much as car accidents in Western Europe.
Countries like Poland, Romania, and Sweden have particularly concerning statistics. In Poland, 27.6% of domestic fires in 2023 were attributed to fossil fuel heating, resulting in over 50 fatalities and nearly 1,500 poisonings. Romania reported 305 adult and 10 child deaths in 2022 from combustion-related fires, while Sweden has recorded over 6,500 fire incidents linked to these systems between 2018 and 2023.
Despite these dangers, governments across the EU continue to allocate substantial funding to fossil fuel heating systems. In 2022, €3.2 billion of taxpayers’ money was directed towards subsidies for these technologies, a move the report criticises as financing future fatalities. The report emphasises the need for urgent action from the European Union to phase out fossil fuel and biomass heating technologies, with subsidies redirected towards clean, renewable alternatives like solar and electric heating, which are safer, cheaper, and environmentally sustainable. Additionally, funding organisations to gather accident and injury data comprehensively is a necessity, as member states do not put nearly enough resources into data collection.
Decarbonised, renewables-based heating and cooking are vital not just for our long-term health and climate goals; as the report shows, the health and safety risks of combustion-based technologies are an acute problem for many households across the EU. A comprehensive EU-wide plan could facilitate a move away from combustion technologies, ensuring safer homes and cleaner energy for all Europeans.
Cover image: REVOLVE.
