Gas stoves are contributing more to global warming A new study shows.
The same study examined emissions around household stoves raises new concerns about indoor air quality and health because of measured nitrogen oxide concentrations.
A team of researchers in California found that even when they are not working, US gas stoves are emitting 2.6 million tons (2.4 million tons) of methane – in equivalent units. carbon dioxide – into the air every year. Environmental Science & Technology. That equates to annual greenhouse gas emissions from 500,000 cars or what United States put into the air every three and a half hours.
“They’re constantly venting some methane into the atmosphere,” said Rob Jackson, a Stanford University climate scientist.
That methane is on top of the 6.8 million tons (6.2 million tons) of carbon dioxide that gas stoves release into the air as they are used and the gas is burned, the study said. Methane is a greenhouse gas dozens of times more powerful than carbon dioxide, but it does not last long in the atmosphere and is not abundant in the atmosphere.
The researchers examined 53 home kitchens in California – many of which were rented out to them. They sealed most of the room in plastic tarps and then measured the emissions when the stove was in operation and when it was idle. And what’s surprising is that three-quarters of the methane released happens while the stove is off, Jackson said. Those are emissions that the government doesn’t take into account, he said.
“It’s a big deal because we’re trying to really reduce carbon emissions and we claim that gas is cleaner than coal,” said lead author Eric Lebel, a scientist at PSE Healthy Energy, a nonprofit in Oakland. But he said much of the benefit would disappear when the leaks were taken into account.
Many communities have bans on gas stoves in future new construction that will go into effect in the coming years, including New York City and Bay Area cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Berkeley, Jackson said.
“People were able to choose electrical appliances if they wanted to,” said Frank Maisano, a Washington policy and public relations expert who represents gas and appliance interests. “People just love gas appliances because they work better, especially in colder climates.”
“Natural gas appliances are generally more energy-efficient and cost-effective than electric appliances,” says Maisano.
Jackson estimates that when all nature Air Taking into account usage and production, about 100 million tons (91 million tons) of gas leaked into the atmosphere. And a couple of million tons from a gas stove “is significant. That’s an important part, and it’s a part that we haven’t exactly covered in the past. “
Zachary Merrin, a research engineer in the Illinois Applied Research Institute’s Indoor Climate Training & Research group, says leak detection is “a very important step forward” and is relevant for the job. is different.
Merrin, who was not involved in the study, said the emission of unburnt methane is “obviously bad. From an emissions standpoint, cooking directly with gas is better than using an electric stove that runs on fuel. fossil fuel but worse than using solar energy. electric stove.”
Jackson said the methane leak was not dangerous to human health or could be an explosive. But when conducting tests, the researchers found high levels of nitrous oxide, greater than 100 parts per billion. Jackson said America I have to go to school every day There is no indoor air quality standard for that gas, but the measurements they took exceed its outdoor air quality standard. While methane does not include nitrogen, nitrogen oxides are a byproduct of combustion in natural gas furnaces, he said.
Maisano says people should always use ranges of range hoods and make sure they have proper ventilation. Jackson, who has a gas stove that he plans to replace, said he never used ventilation prior to this study, but now he does all the time.
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