A new public awareness campaign has been launched which targets cleaner air this winter.

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan announced the campaign, which outlines three simple steps to bring about significant improvements in air quality.

The core messages are as follows:

A – Ask yourself: "Do I need to light a fire?" Use other cleaner heating sources instead if possible.

B – Burn cleaner, more efficient, low smoke fuels and make sure you use the right fuel for your appliance.

C – Clean and maintain your chimneys and heating appliances at least once a year.

Home fires are the main source of an air pollutant called fine particulate matter (also known as PM2.5). This pollutant is linked to approximately 1,300 deaths in Ireland each year. By taking these simple steps, people can help to safeguard the health of people who are at particular risk of problems caused by air pollution, such as people with asthma, children and the elderly.

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Announcing the campaign, Minister Ryan said: "When this Government was formed, we gave a commitment to tackle air pollution caused by domestic solid fuel burning, and we remain committed to doing so. We took a major step earlier this year, with a public consultation on the development of new solid fuels regulations for Ireland.

"We received more than 3,500 responses across all strands of the consultation, with a wide variety of suggested regulatory approaches for solid fuels. Having considered the submissions made by the public, health experts and advocacy groups, academia and industry, a framework for legislation has been developed and drafting of the regulations is underway. Our goal is to improve public health by ensuring that people switch to lower smoke rules and that the market is regulated nationally."

The awareness campaign is being launched ahead of the introduction of the new Solid Fuel Regulations that will come into place for 2022 heating season. Up to now, there were rules covering low smoke coal in some cities and towns across the country but not all. The new rules will apply nationwide and to a broader selection of fuels.

The regulations will be finalised in the coming months and will be in place for the 2022 heating season.