The energy transition requires clear choices grounded in facts. Yet today, the debate around wood heating highlights a worrying drift: the confusion between outdated technologies, widely recognized as problematic and modern, high-performance, strictly regulated solutions.
This oversimplification of the debate, often driven by well-intentioned environmental goals, is in fact producing the opposite of the intended effects. By treating all wood heating systems as equal, certain public policies are inadvertently encouraging the continued use of the most polluting appliances, while slowing down the transition toward cleaner alternatives.
As Bart Goovaerts points out, the issue is not about denying public health concerns or the need to improve air quality. On the contrary, he insists that these challenges are real and must be addressed. What he questions, however, is the effectiveness of blanket bans. “We do not dispute public health concerns or the need to improve air quality. What we challenge is the idea that banning indiscriminately is more effective than replacing intelligently. The data shows exactly the opposite.”
In Belgium, the stock of wood-burning appliances is largely aging. These older installations often inefficient are responsible for the vast majority of problematic emissions. Yet by introducing broad restrictions or creating regulatory uncertainty, policymakers risk discouraging households from investing in modern equipment.
The result is a paradox. Faced with a lack of visibility, citizens postpone their investments and continue using outdated systems. Pollution, instead of decreasing, persists or even worsens.
This inconsistency is all the more striking given that, at the same time, the limits of a rapid and fully electrified heating transition are well documented. Strained energy grids, high costs, labor shortages, and fragile social acceptance all point toward the need for a pragmatic, gradual, and diversified transition.
An effective energy policy cannot rely on contradictory signals. It must instead encourage the renewal of the existing stock, prioritizing the replacement of the most polluting equipment. Without such an approach, climate objectives risk remaining purely theoretical.
For Bart Goovaerts, the credibility of the energy transition ultimately depends on its ability to move beyond symbolic opposition. “The energy transition will gain credibility when it stops opposing solutions symbolically and starts focusing on their real effectiveness. A mature climate policy is not measured by the radical nature of its announcements, but by the reality of its results.”
