A recent study found that childhood asthma is around 13% higher in homes where gas stoves are used as opposed to electric appliances, with the danger rivaling that of breathing second hand smoke. 650,000 kids are affected.
Partially as a result of the findings, the State of New York became the first to ban the use of gas stoves and other gas appliances in new buildings starting in 2026. Other states are following suit.
The other advantage of this new law is the reduction of methane, the main component of natural gas with 80 times more warming power than carbon dioxide in an already overheated planet.
The fossil fuels industry screamed foul so the House of Representatives wrote a bill to protect gas stoves, only to be sabotaged by the right wing in their own party - not because they were against the legislation - but because they were seeking retribution for the passing of the recent debt limit bill, which they despised.
One of the fundamental tenets of the Republican Party is that control of government should be local…except when they don’t like what states or municipalities have done.
Where does the electricity come from? In California, most of it is generated by burning natural gas! Generating electricity is inefficient compared to direct use of the gas in the home. It takes about 3 times as much gas to produce a unit of electricity. So, like many things, the solution is not as simple as politicians would like it to be.