Petition Ban the use of disposable BBQ's & open fires on all Welsh mountains and grasslands during summer.
With increasingly dry, hot summers, much of the Welsh landscape has become a high-risk environment for wildfires. The majority of these wildfires are caused by human activity-both deliberate ignition and the reckless use of disposable BBQ's or open campfires.
Due to the high concentration of degraded peat in upland areas, fires are very difficult to contain and extinguish, leading to the devastation of our beautiful landscapes and impacting local communities.
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As a resident near Blaenavon, I have witnessed a stark increase in the amount of people using disposable BBQs or building campfires in high-risk areas over recent years, making major blazes feel both inevitable and frustratingly preventable.
Not only do the resulting fires take a toll on our environment and the local wildlife, but the human cost is also severe.
Thousands of residents across the surrounding areas of both the North and South Wales fires have been severely impacted by heavy smoke. Vulnerable individuals with pre-existing health conditions have been trapped indoors for days on end, unable to open windows during a 27°c heatwave. The smoke also poses a danger to healthy individuals, as the particulate matter and volatile organic compounds in smoke are able to permeate the alveoli in the lungs and enter the bloodstream, where they can cause damage anywhere in the body.
We need urgent action on land management, public enforcement, and open flame bans in high-risk zones.
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At 10,000 signatures...
Petitions with more than 10,000 signatures will be considered for a debate in the Senedd