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Gas stoves have become a proxy battleground for the future of the planet. Some cities are trying to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by removing gas connections in new buildings. But the natural gas industry does not collapse without a fight.
Pro-gas marketing campaigns have been most successful in waging war in the kitchen, promoting gas stoves as superior to electric stoves. This made it more difficult for cities like Seattle to pass mandates that would limit the use of gas in homes and buildings. What is at stake in this fight is the ability of cities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
To complicate matters further, the gas industry has, for decades, touted itself as a “cleaner” alternative to fossil fuels like coal and oil. “We should probably discuss its name: ‘Natural Gas’,” says Panama Bartholomy, executive director of the nonprofit Building Decarbonization Coalition in California. “It’s perhaps one of the most successful marketing campaigns we’ve seen in a big industry to call what is really a dangerous pollutant, something natural.”
Recent research has cropped this all-natural image. It turns out that the process of extracting natural gas and delivering it to homes can seriously harm the climate because it spits out a lot of methane. Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas with even more power to warm the planet than carbon dioxide. Additionally, gas stoves can also affect the air quality inside the home.
The edge immersed in the science that has given us a new perspective on natural gas. And we explore what this brawl over the stoves could mean for our homes and the environment. If you want to learn more about why a beloved kitchen appliance could delay efforts to tackle the climate crisis, check out our video above.
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