Gas stoves are a leading source of hazardous indoor air pollution but they emit only a tiny share of greenhouse gases that warm the climate.
The debate resurfaced when Richard Trumka jr, a member of the US Consumer Product Safety Commision (CPSC) said that the agency planned to consider regulating gas stoves due to ill effects on health of people. “Products that can’t be made safe should be banned.”
Politicians reacted with overheated outrage, putting the ownership of gas on a par with the right to bear arms and religious freedom. CPSC Chairperson Alexander Hoehn tried to keep the uproar within limits and the Biden administration has also not proceeded to ban gas.
Serious health effects;
Direct impacts from gas stoves are a much more urgent concern for human health than the Earth’s climate. Gas stoves are a leading indoor source of nitrogen dioxide that can cause or worsen respiratory illness in people who are exposed to it.
Scientific studies show that living in a home that has gas stoves increases children’s risk of catching asthma by nearly one third and contributes to pulmonary diseases in adults.
Climate Change Relation;
The significance of gas stoves for the climate crisis becomes clearer in the context of the Biden administration goal of the US achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This can only be achieved by cutting back fossil fuel across the country. 46% of US homes use natural gas as their main source of heat, 40% use electricity and 10% use other fuels like oil and propane. Electric and natural gas have the same carbon footprints thus natural gas usage needs to be reduced more rapidly.
But renewable energy sources like wind and solar power are slowly and surely making the transformation.
