The thing is that the particulate matter is so fine that you can't see it. You can't 'see' the pollution, we can only see it's effects. On health as much as anything else.
I'm more aware than most, being severely asthmatic. I can remember as a kid, walking to school with the smell of coal fires in the air, and weezing my self to a standstill on very cold mornings.
I have to keep my central heating on to 18° as affording more heat right now is too scary, I'm able to buy in the coal during the summer, at a cheaper price, a bag or two at a time , so that's affordable(though I don't know if it's any cheaper in the long run)
Tonight, I haven't lit the fire, and despite my new thermals, wool socks, thermal lined jeans, a wool jumper, and hat, plus a wool blanket, I'm feeling cold to the bone, which makes moving around hard work, as I sieze up.
I need my fire, to stay warm and reasonably mobile. I don't have a family around to bring me a cuppa, or cook a meal for me while I stay warm and immobile in bed which in itself isn't healthy. I have to get up, shop and cook etc. To do so, I need to be able to keep warm enough. Its my only option this winter.
Last winter, I could afford to just have the central heating up high enough to stay properly warm. Once electric goes down to an affordable price, I'll use just the central heating.
If the government wants us not to use wood etc to keep warm, they will have to bring the price of electric down drastically.
I'd be happy to have solar on my roof, but I can't afford to do it myself on a rented property, and the h/a won't do it, so I am where I am.
All new houses should have been designed and built with solar as a normal specification , and something I've been saying for about 20 yrs. Trouble is, orientation means sometimes only 6 houses can be built instead of 10 and that doesn't fill the house builders pockets.
I know solar isn't perfect, but it would help many to keep bills lower at least, if not provide totaly free power to a household.