As the United States has begun transitioning away from the use of coal and petroleum as a source of electricity and fuel, natural gas has been viewed as a relatively benign fossil fuel. After all, natural gas produces less carbon dioxide when burned than those other fossil fuels. It remains the energy source in about half of California’s buildings.
But scientists have increasingly warned that methane, the main component of natural gas, is itself a key heat-trapping gas — 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the first twenty years after release, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. In addition to the carbon dioxide created by its burning, the inevitable leaks as natural gas is extracted and shipped, make gas a serious climate threat in its own right.
State policy calls for the electrification of buildings — the source of about 10 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from natural gas. Several state agencies and many cities and counties are working on a variety of programs to promote electrification. But none have gone as far as the ordinance scheduled to come before the Berkeley City Council on July 9.
Once again, the City of Berkeley is considering a groundbreaking environmental policy: This time it’s a ban on natural gas hookups in all new buildings, starting January 1, 2020.
Berkeley is about to see a “wave of new multistory construction,” with at least 3,100 residential units currently planned, said Councilmember Kate Harrison, who introduced the measure. “These buildings will be in place for 100 years,” she said. “Emergency action is needed to prevent locking in the greenhouse gas and safety impacts” of natural gas.
In addition to the fuel’s impact on climate change, Harrison also noted that using natural gas means “pumping a toxic, flammable liquid over fault lines into our homes.” Cooking with gas is linked to asthma attacks and hospitalizations, hitting hardest in children and communities of color. A 2013 Lawrence Berkeley Lab study found that in 60 percent of the homes with gas stoves, the air pollution level violates federal standards for outdoor air. “Your Gas Stove is Bad for You and the Planet,” a recent guest editorial in The New York Times, reported that “a growing body of scientific evidence has shown that gas stoves throw off pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.” Natural gas also is a fire hazard. A 2017 study by the US Geological Services identified broken gas lines as a key risk factor during an earthquake. Much of the damage and loss of life after an earthquake is caused by fires from broken gas lines.
So far, no opposition to the proposed gas ban has emerged. But pushback is expected, since many builders and residents are unfamiliar with the relatively new technologies for electric heating, cooling, and cooking. The city council committee working on the bill held two hearings for developers, but none showed up. “The next step is outreach to builders and the business community,” Harrison said.
HT/Willie Soon
I suggest telling the inhabitants of The Democratic People’s Republic of Berkeley that natural Gas is organic.
They pay a premium for organic products.
Gee, all those government-purchased, CNG-powered public transportation buses gonna be piled up on the trash heap of history due to shear ignorance about the main sources of methane.
“There are both natural and human sources of methane emissions. The main natural sources include wetlands, termites and the oceans. Natural sources create 36% of methane emissions. Human sources include landfills and livestock farming. But the most important source being the production, transportation and use of fossil fuels.” — ref: https://whatsyourimpact.org/greenhouse-gases/methane-emissions .
I’m very much interested in any plans to get rid of termites and landfills . . . not too sure about eliminating livestock farming because I happen to really like cheeseburgers.
Due to the low population density, there are hardly any medical centers in north siberian. In addition, the younger population mostly emigrates for education and training to the larger cities. So “medical trains” regularly visit and drive through the region.
https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-huawei&ei=E7InXbekD-2urgTUlIX4DQ&q=siberia%27s+medical+train&oq=Siberian+medicaltrain&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-serp.
“A 2017 study by the US Geological Services identified broken gas lines as a key risk factor during an earthquake. Much of the damage and loss of life after an earthquake is caused by fires from broken gas lines.”
There’s big money coming for Berkeley City Council and Councilmember Kate Harrison, when they sue and settle the earth quaker companies.
By the way Berkeley can bargain all the other earthquaking countries: new zealand with Christchurch, Indonesian, Iceland, Italian and the whole gang.
the NG generation is backing up wind or solar electricity production for use in the cities instead of NG. So probably much more CO2 –
get used to Vancouver, BC backing up NG with DUNG burning for restaurants that use a gas range for cooking all their meals on. That would include ovens, such as pizza ovens.
When these commercial eatery’s make some complaints that this was completely unfair since foods cooked with an open flame by a chef are much more desired by canadian customers,
(not to mention more rustical ) it will be revealed that ‘renewable’ dung is the new local standard and sure will find its connoisseur with restaurants that use a gas range for cooking all their meals on. That would include ovens, such as pizza ovens. When these commercial eatery’s made some complaints that this was completely unfair since foods cooked with an open flame by a chef are much more desired by customers, (not to mention more economical) it was then revealed that ‘renewable’ dung soon will find its connoisseur circles.
The new parole is – tous de la vache – all from the cow –