The impact of climate policy and climate change on pm2.5 emission from residential wood combustion

Abstract

Residential wood combustion is the dominant source of particulate matter PM2.5 in the Republic of Croatia. Although the wood biomass is considered a green, sustainable energy source, at the same time the inhalation of PM2.5 particles from residential wood combustion, is associated with harmful effects on human health. The paper analyzes the variability of PM2.5 emission regarding three factors, which are closely related to climate policy and climate change. The first factor is related to the introduction of new, more environmentally friendly wood biomass combustion technologies. The second factor relates to the consumption of wood biomass depending on climate variability. The third factor refers to the implementation of measures for energy renovation of family houses. The aim of this paper is to distinguish the contribution of individual factors, both on the historical PM2.5 emissions from residential wood combustion, and on the emission projections up to the year 2050.