Berkeley bans natural gas in new buildings, the first U.S. city to do so

[craigs]

Originally Posted by TexasPlaya

A cleaner energy more accurately. From a short term pollution point of view, it emits no SOX, NOX, or other smog forming emissions and no particulate matter during the burning of natural gas.

I think we often (in the developed world) view air pollution in terms of climate change when a lot of the world and geographies still battle smog and particulate matter.

According to the city of Berkeley, natural gas appliances account for 27 percent of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.

[TexasPlaya]

Originally Posted by craigs

According to the city of Berkeley, natural gas appliances account for 27 percent of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Yea I’ve asked and looked where they got that figure from but nothing from the article posted. That figures seems particularly inflated.

[craigs]

San Jose Approves Ban Of Natural Gas In New Construction Projects
By Kiet Do
KPIX.com
September 17, 2019

SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) — San Jose became the biggest U.S. city to ban natural gas in new construction projects as the city council unanimously approved the proposal Tuesday evening.

The so-called reach code targets appliances that use natural gas–stoves, water heaters and furnaces in buildings. The city says these appliances accounts [sic] for one-third of greenhouse gas emissions.

The passed ordinance will ban natural gas in the construction of new accessory dwelling units, new single family homes and new low rise and multifamily buildings.

[sopas ej]

From LAist:

These San Gabriel Valley Restaurant Owners Think Giving Up Gas Stoves Will Make Their Food Mushy

BY JOSIE HUANG IN FOOD ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 4:05 PM


Chef Chun Lei dishes up shrimp over a gas stove in the kitchen of the Shanghailander Palace in Arcadia. (Josie Huang/LAist)

In the kitchen of Shanghailander Palace in Arcadia, chef Chun Lei tosses raw shrimp into a wide wok bubbling noisily with oil. BAM! A sizzling thunderclap. Flames shoot out from under the wok. The shrimp turns a lovely pink.

Cooking with gas is dramatic, sweaty, and part of the rhythm in the fabled kitchens of San Gabriel Valley's Chinese restaurants. But some chefs like Lei worry that days of the gas stove could be numbered.

"When it comes to taste, this will have an impact," Lei said in Mandarin.

California is moving to eliminate its dependence on fossil fuels like natural gas as it works to become carbon-neutral by 2045. And that has those in the gas industry — and loyal users — worried about their future, and speaking out now.


A volcanic burst of heat shoots out of one of the gas stoves at Shanghailander Palace in Arcadia. (Josie Huang/KPCC)

While no law requires Californians to ditch their gas stoves and other appliances, state regulators have identified electricity as the cleaner alternative. Some city officials are taking an accelerated path to all-electric buildings; both Berkeley and San Jose recently moved to ban gas hook-ups in new construction.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a Green New Deal in April. The proposal calls for all new buildings in the city to be carbon-neutral by 2030, and for 100% of buildings — new and existing — to hit that goal by 2050. Santa Monica officials this year adopted a plan that aims to reduce carbon emissions in the city by 80% as of the year 2030.

Stoves consume far less gas than water or space heaters, but they generate more emotions tied to cooking and culture — and therefore, more debate.

Lei, who has been cooking with gas for 17 years, says preparing meals over an open flame gives dishes the perfect texture and chewiness, which Mandarin speakers describe as "Q" or "QQ." While some newer models of electric cooktops using induction heat up faster than gas and do better in product testing, Lei still worries the food could turn out mushy.

"I feel like there'd be a lot of problems if you use electric," Lei said.


Kelly Fan (l.), a restaurant owner visiting from Anchorage, dines with her granddaughter Angela Fan (r.) at Shanghailander Palace. (Josie Huang/LAist)


Charles Lu, owner of the Shanghailander Palace in Arcadia, has become an outspoken proponent of gas stoves this year. (Josie Huang/LAist)

[...]

Read the rest by clicking this link: https://laist.com/2019/09/20/san-gab...rence-food.php

[lio45]

That's not a problem at all. The situation will obviously stabilize in the future at a nice equilibrium point where customers will be able to choose between "dishes with the perfect texture and chewiness" at a premium (due to a properly-designed carbon tax) or carbon-neutral "mushy food" at a lower pricepoint.

Nothing new there - the poor and the rich have never had the exact same things on their plates ever since the beginning of humanity anyway. I fail to see why that's supposed to be a big deal this time.