You're right in that wood-burning is carbon-neutral over human lifespans, making it far better than, say, coal-burning power plants in terms of emissions. Howe

You're right in that wood-burning is carbon-neutral over human lifespans, making it far better than, say, coal-burning power plants in terms of emissions. However, in the short term, wood-burning is problematic much like smog from driving is problematic. If cars burned nothing but renewable vegetable oil, and drive in places like Los Angeles the same amount that people drive today, smog would still be a problem for human health. I think the article overstates the risk a bit; high-efficiency wood stoves burn off much of the harmful gas and particulates and don't have visible emissions when they are working properly, for example. But that's not the point of the article.