The discussion panel at this year’s National Air Quality Conference will consider the twin issues of domestic wood burning and cooking – both domestic and commercial.
Our panelists will discuss the work they have undertaken in relation to one or both of the above and will take questions from the floor.
Tom Parkes, Air Quality Programme Manager at Camden Council
Camden is jointly leading the London Wood Burning Project as well as Healthy Waterways London, which aims to set out ‘a future vision and opportunities for cleaner air, for the benefit of everyone who lives, works, learns and travels on and alongside London’s canals and inland waterways.’
Graham Petersen, Coordinator – Trade Union Clean Air Network (TUCAN)
Graham has coordinated the Trade Union Clean Air Network (established by the Green Jobs Alliance and Hazards Campaign) since 2019. The TUCAN campaigns for workers and trade unions to have greater recognition on air pollution issues. The network has worked with union reps on air pollution measurements and provides training and guidance for workplace reps on monitoring.
Cllr Ryan Jude, the Cabinet Member for Air Quality at Westminster City Council
Earlier this year, Westminster launched a new pilot scheme aimed at discovering the threats that might be posed by cooking practices in restaurant kitchens and what might be done to mitigate them.
The council is an official supporter of the Global Cooksafe Coalition which was launched in Australia in 2022 and in the UK in 2024. The coalition aims to transition kitchens – both commercial and domestic – towards safe, sustainable cooking.
Dr Laura Horsfall, University College London
A researcher at the UCL Institute of Health Informatics, Laura has led studies investigating the use of wood burners in England and Wales. Her work revealed “wood burning hotspots” and linked increased lung cancer rates in affluent areas to potential carcinogen exposure from wood smoke. In May 2025, her analysis of energy performance certificates found a significant rise in the number of homes installing wood burners since 2022, especially in rural areas.
Chloe Coules, Senior Communication Campaigns Manager, Global Action Plan
Chloe leads Global Action Plan’s public awareness campaign Clean Air Night, which sparks a national conversation about the health and environmental impacts of wood burning each winter. She is also working on the transition to electric cooking in the UK, including a recent pilot project which saw social housing properties in Manchester retrofitted from gas to induction hobs and tenants meeting with a Michelin-starred chef to learn about the benefits of electric cooking.
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