Gas stoves are often considered the best cooking appliances. They provide excellent heat control and quickly bring food to temperature.
Around one-third of US homes have gas appliances for cooking, highlighting their importance in everyday life.
Gas stoves are sometimes associated with a more natural cooking method, using an open flame. However, this fuel comes from burning fossil fuels, which release harmful pollution into the atmosphere and your home.
The term natural gas is misleading. It sounds greener than coal or oil when it is just as bad for the environment.
If greenhouse gas emissions were reduced to zero tomorrow, global temperatures would still rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius within the next twenty years.
Currently, our emissions are decreasing at a fast enough rate, but we need to change our lifestyles and the fuels we use drastically.
Jump to Section [Hide]
Why are Gas Stoves Bad for the Environment?
Gas Stoves Use a Non-renewable Energy Source
Gas stoves use natural, non-renewable fossil fuels and emit gases like carbon dioxide and methane. In the US, gas stoves emit a massive 6.8 million tons of carbon dioxide yearly.
Methane is the most worrying gas as it is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in our atmosphere, having disastrous effects on the climate.
Conversations about fossil fuels can get confusing, especially when the word natural describes gases. These gases are natural because they are also created and emitted naturally through the decay of organic materials, microbes in the ocean, and even volcanic activity.
However, these natural emissions are part of a balanced cycle, meaning methane sinks offset the same amount released in nature.
Human activity is unbalancing the equilibrium of the natural world, and by burning fossil fuels, more gas is released into the atmosphere than is being stored.
80% of global energy needs are still supplied through non-renewable fossil fuels, contributing to two-thirds of the worldwide carbon dioxide emissions.
Using natural gas, coal, and oil is devastatingly affecting the planet. Gas stoves are part of the problem and negatively impact the environment.
Gas Stoves are Leaking
A recent study found that even when gas stoves in the US are turned off and unused, they emit around 2.6 million tons of methane yearly– equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of 500,000 cars.
This is a shocking statistic, as most people assume their stove does not leak. However, recent research into home pollution has made this information available.
Think of a gas stove, an open flame, where you can see and sometimes smell the gas as you watch the combustion happen before your eyes. Inevitably, some gas will escape into your home when the stove is in use, but we do not consider the gas emitting when the furnace is off.
If we also consider that gas leaks through every part of the supply chain, from the pipelines and gas wells to within the home, whether the stove is on or off, this appliance hurts the environment.
Gas Stoves are Bad for Your Health
Environmental pollutants damage human health and the planet, and gas stoves release harmful gases directly into the home.
As previously outlined, gas stoves use fossil fuels, which release methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and increase the harmful effects of global warming. These stoves have also been found to release the gas nitrogen dioxide, which is detrimental to your health, and carbon monoxide, which is even more deadly.
Nitrogen dioxide is odorless, which means it goes unnoticed in your home. Those houses with gas stoves rather than electric stoves have been shown to have up to 400% higher concentrations of this gas, a level that would be considered illegal outside.
This negatively affects the air within your home, as it has been shown to cause respiratory problems and chronic conditions like asthma. It also causes environmental issues such as acid rain, which harms wildlife and habitats and leads to an imbalance of the soil’s nutrient levels.
Carbon monoxide is a hazardous gas that can cause severe illness or death. It reduces the amount of oxygen carried around the body. Gas stoves can emit this gas, which is a big concern in poorly ventilated homes. Carbon monoxide is a damaging environmental pollutant, particularly from a health standpoint.
Cities in the US Have Banned Gas Stoves
Areas in New York, California, and other parts of the US have banned the installation of gas stoves in new buildings. This is because of concerns that natural gas could lead to climate change and pollution.
There is a movement within the US energy system towards using renewable energy sources, although this is happening slowly.
Natural gas is not considered a long-term solution to heating within our homes due to these environmental concerns, as indicated by gas stoves being phased out.
Are There Any Benefits to Having a Gas Stove?
The points above outline why gas stoves are bad for the environment, and this is enough to make you want to replace the one in your home with something cleaner immediately. However, it is not as simple as the planet should use an appliance until it is broken and needs replacing.
The production of appliances also uses a lot of energy, and it is always best to reuse everything you can.
Gas stoves can be a good option for the environment for several reasons. First, they use less energy than electric stoves because of the quick transfer of heat, which results in less cooking time.
Electric stoves use electricity predominantly from fossil fuels like coal and oil, which are less efficient than natural gas when burned and have negative environmental impacts.
We are moving towards using renewable energy sources to create electricity, making electric stoves the better option.
Natural gas is also more efficient to burn than coal, so a gas stove may be better depending on how the electrical energy is created.
There is also an essential consideration of affordability. For many people, it is cheaper to use a gas stove, or it is impossible to switch to another cooking appliance. In these cases, gas stoves are a good middle ground as we transition to renewable energy.
What are Better Alternatives to Gas Stoves?
The best substitute for a gas stove is electricity. Standard electric stoves heat an element, transferring this heat to the pot. These are becoming more common in homes; new builds are more likely to install an electric stove than a gas one.
An important consideration is how the electricity is generated. If this is through environmentally friendly, renewable methods, electric stoves would be significantly better for the environment than gas stoves.
Worldwide, there is still a reliance on fossil fuels, and we have a long way to go before we can celebrate 100% clean energy.
Induction stoves are currently the most efficient form of this appliance, as they work through magnetic conduction. This means induction stoves heat the pot directly and do not waste energy heating an element, so the stovetop stays cold. This process reduces heat loss and wastes less energy, a big positive for the environment.
However, induction stoves are expensive and require specific cooking equipment containing iron for the heat transfer to work.
Another way to improve the environment in your home is to install an extractor hood that effectively removes air, reducing the build-up of gases.
It is essential that whatever appliance is in the home be used as little as possible and serviced to increase efficiency and performance.
Currently, only 11% of the energy produced globally comes from renewable technologies, but the optimistic aim is for the world to be powered by 100% renewable sources by 2050.
To meet this goal, we must look towards environmentally friendly options for the future and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
Gas stoves do not align with these goals, considering their harmful environmental effects and use of non-renewable fuels. However, as many still rely on them, we should aim to make them as efficient as possible.
Related content: Is Propane a Natural Gas?
Did you find this article helpful? If so, please share it with your friends! Many thanks.
