No gas stoves in the new homes, the council said. No gas stoves or ovens. Buildings in the state of California account for 43% of greenhouse gas emissions and 25% of total emissions. Regulations banning gas stoves from all new residential and commercial buildings were passed to reduce harmful greenhouse gases to zero by 2023. “There`s a lot of legal uncertainty,” Foster said, adding that there isn`t a lot of current litigation around natural gas bans and preemption laws. “Property developers already have most of the technology to replace stoves with heat pumps, water heaters with electric boilers and gas stoves with induction hobs. And because cities and towns control building and energy regulations, it`s one of the few areas where they have the power to push through deep emissions reductions. Ysabelle Kempe, Grist Twenty state governments have passed “preemption laws” that prevent cities across the state from implementing natural gas bans, according to CNN. Basically, every southern state has such a law, as do places like Utah, Ohio, and Iowa. “It`s a good choice to avoid gas if you`re replacing your stove anyway. But if you`re looking for personal ways to protect the environment and your health, you have much bigger fish to fry.
The electrification of your space and water heating systems or your car will have a significantly greater impact, as will the ventilation of your kitchen. Liam McCabe, New York Times The Daily Meal notes that professional chefs prefer to cook rather than an open gas stove because the ideal temperature can be reached faster and is easier to control. They are also cheaper to maintain and can be used with a wider range of non-specialized cookware. Many chefs attribute the flavor profile and texture of typical dishes directly to the open flame of a gas stove, claiming that cooking on an electric stove is an unparalleled method. Large flames licking the bottom of a pan while a cook carefully frying a dish are familiar images evoked at the mention of a gas stove. Professional chefs and amateur chefs rely on gas cookers to properly prepare their favorite dishes, from Korean barbecue to Alaskan flambée. When the Los Angeles Times published an article about California`s growing ban on gas stoves, food lovers with an open fire were understandably desperate. Already in 2019, the first complete ban on gas stoves in new buildings went into effect in Berkeley, California.
Since then, more than 50 California cities and counties have followed suit. Other cities and states, such as Boston, Milwaukie, Oregon and Washington State, are considering similar policies or have similar regulations in place. The movement to ban natural gas is based on the belief that phasing out natural gas is one of the fastest ways for cities to limit their greenhouse gas emissions. (We`ll leave the debate on how best to limit broadcasts to other blogs.) Environmental activists also argue that gas appliances such as stoves emit toxic gases that are extremely harmful to residents. Tensions in California are high after implementing a ban on gas stoves in new construction in 2019, according to The Takeout. Since then, more than 50 cities and counties in the Golden State have joined the ban, with other cities and states across the country considering similar measures. Green initiatives fuel the reasons for the ban, but the flame of hope still burns for restaurateurs and amateur chefs hooked up to their gas stoves. Gas stoves aren`t ideal, but not as harmful as critics portray them “The humble stove may seem like a tiny part of a big problem – but it`s one of our most personal, immediate, and tangible. It is also one of the easiest to change.
– Brady Seals, Guardian State laws written in general terms can prevent this transition, said Mejia Cunningham. Beyond the climate impact of natural gas in general, there is also a movement to phase out gas stoves because of the harmful pollutants they release into the home. Cooking on a gas stove releases nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, chemicals that have been linked to negative health problems such as asthma, with a particular risk to children. One study found that gas stoves can produce indoor levels of nitrogen dioxide that exceed legal limits for outdoor air. In Los Angeles in particular, regulations require all new buildings (residential and commercial) to be built CO2-free by 2023. This means that there are no more gas stoves. However, the key words here are “new construction”, as this switch to electrical appliances does not retroactively ban gas stoves. It only applies to construction work from 2020; All the gas stoves already in homes and businesses in Los Angeles can continue to operate as usual. Climate activists see gas bans as an effective way to reduce greenhouse gases caused by buildings, which account for about 13 percent of total U.S. emissions. They argue that, unlike burgeoning technologies such as the green grid and electric vehicles, clean alternatives to furnaces, appliances and gas stoves are readily available to most consumers. Critics of the bans, on the other hand, are skeptical about the extent to which they will actually reduce emissions, worry about rising costs for homeowners, and argue that market-based solutions will be most effective in encouraging the transition to electrified homes.
Gas stoves are a good entry point for broader efforts to electrify homes “For the individual homeowner, as well as society as a whole, managing harmful pollution ultimately seems a bit silly when equally effective, affordable, and pollution-free alternatives are available. It`s time to make the new buildings fully electric and replace all existing gas appliances, including gas stoves, with electric alternatives. – David Roberts, Vox Part of the resistance is rooted in attachment to gas stoves and fear of new technologies. For years, the fossil fuel industry has fueled misinformation about induction zones, heat pumps and other electrical appliances that enable the transition to zero-emission buildings. But just like cars, electrical appliances will eventually become the norm, not only because they are our ticket out of a planetary collapse, but also because they are better. But there are clean alternatives: electric heat pumps can heat homes more sustainably than gas stoves; Induction zones can replace gas stoves. And experts point out that for the full transition to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, households and businesses must be powered by electricity and not gas. When it comes to health, proponents say gas stoves are simply too toxic to be installed in new homes.
They are calling on governments to create financial incentives to help homeowners switch to electric or induction ranges, an expense they believe will ultimately save money compared to the cost of potential health problems. “The government could speed things up dramatically with subsidies and regulation. If the state gave landowners a large loan to replace their gas stoves, paying special attention to older stoves in apartment buildings (they often leak or burn very inefficiently), and put in place new regulations on the amount of air pollution equipment that could gradually become narrower over time, Gas cooking could be completely replaced. ” – Ryan Cooper, the week “As for the gas stove, it is the next target for elimination because it consumes gas. The left, if it takes control of everything, would ban it nationwide from new production, and then ban its replacement and possession. If someone in Montana, Florida or Seattle says, “But I prefer gasoline,” you can only roll your eyes. – James Lileks, National Review So, about this L.A. Times headline. Right now, the ban technically doesn`t affect the ability of a Los Angeles restaurant you already know and enjoy running its existing gas stoves, whether it`s a Korean barbecue or otherwise. Emissions come mainly from natural gas burned in ovens, water heaters, ovens, ovens and tumble dryers. Last week, the Los Angeles Times published an article with the provocative headline: “The end of Korean barbecue in Los Angeles? What banning gas stoves means for your favorite restaurants. That sounds bad.
But Californians don`t necessarily have to worry about changing their lifestyles with new natural gas regulations. Here`s why. The climate is at stake. Residential and commercial emissions accounted for 13 percent of total U.S. emissions in 2019, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. About 80 percent of these emissions come from burning natural gas, the fuel that heats homes or powers restaurant stoves, emitting planet-warming gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Although new laws apply to the entire home, the political debate often focuses on one particular room: the kitchen. Gas stoves account for a relatively small proportion of emissions released by a typical household, but they have become an indicator of a broader battle over the extent to which efforts to reduce natural gas consumption in the home should go in the name of fighting climate change.