In the US, for example, it is estimated that Americans have 60 million barbecues – otherwise known as a braai – on the fourth of July alone. The energy this consumes would be enough to power 20,000 households for a year, while the collective bonfire burns the equivalent of 2,300 acres of forests and releases 225,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

This is according to an article on the website of the Sierra Club, a US environmental organisation, which notes that charcoal gives off more carbon monoxide and soot than any other cooking method.