For one more weekend, the ministries of Environment and Health issued a statement suggesting that citizens avoid the use of fireplace and wood stoves due to high levels of air pollution (smog). It is the second consecutive weekend that Greek authorities issue such a statement, exactly when freezing Greeks stay at home and start burning wood to heat their homes.
Burning wood for heating became the target of the government already in January 2012, when crisis- and austerity-hit Greeks started to use fire places and wood stoves, especially after the same government rose the tax of heating oil and the previous government had increased the tax on natural gas. No to mention the exorbitant electricity prices that hinder many Greeks to heat via electric heaters or A/C and other heating forms that consume power.
PS I was charged 76 euro for 25 hours of heating with natural gas. How much should I had to pay if I was to heat 8 hours per day x 30 days? €720 euro? Or €320 for heating 6pm-10pm? No, thanks! I love my fireplace… it fits so well with the Christmas tree 🙂
I’m afraid as long as the heating oil, the gas and electricity prices remain high, Greeks will keep burning wood.
somebody should challenge the politicans on the basis of cost how can they justify telling people not to light fires do they not realise that they will cause people to die and then be unable to pay their stupid taxes
it’s the public health 🙂