Where I grew up in the Midlands in Tipton one of the most industrialised towns in the country, we had coal fired steel mills every where and we lived in the shadow (about 400 yards away ) was a massive coal fired power station, the power station was built after my grandfather had built the house. We had such peasoupers often we weren't allowed when at school to play outdoors in the winter and often not allowed to leave the school until your parents or neighbours collected you it was that bad,
In the summer when we had the industrial fortnight where everything shut down, with a few days we would have fabulous cloudless skies and sunny weather as all the pollution producers had shut down for the hols.
The Doctors waiting room and hospitals were full of bronchial problems.
I lived on Killiney Hill in Dublin in the late 80's looking down the hill with Dublin Bay and all its splendour stretched out in front of us. Whilst only smokeless coal could be burnt in County Dublin, every weekend people would take a trip to just outside the county boundary and buy their normal coal and peat not available within the county. Needless to say smog was a very real issue, we were elevated enough to be above the smog layer in the plateau below. All you could see was the tops of roof lines and a halo of street lights almost as if suspended just at the slightly thinner edge of the smog ceiling. Great spectacular sight across Dublin and the bay with coal and mainly peat fire smells everywhere. .Not so nice when we had to descend into it on our daily trip into town.
Whilst these were difficult times, I still remember them with fondness and smile at the current eco warriors who have no real idea how far we have already come since most of our childhood days. We will never achieve zero emissions its impossible just human and agricultural/animal waste will be a constant source of methane impacting the ozone.
