Pah, fire places are pretty obsolete. If they really wanted to make a difference, they could make those 24hour Wal-marts put up solar panels to run their blindingly bright don't-steal-shit-we'll-see-you lights. If the government really, really wanted things to change they could mandate that all national chains, such as McDonalds, Wal-Mart, Target, and StarBucks rely solely on solar panels.
They can afford it, and it'll be a hell of a lot more effective than asking the few people who still burn fireplaces, not to.
And nobody dies of cold.