Little acknowledged is that natural gas emits methane which has 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere. So even though CO2 has a longer-lasting effect, reducing methane emissions now has immediate benefits. At least 25% of today’s warming is driven by methane from human actions. One of the largest methane sources is the oil and gas industry.
For this reason, some U.S cities and municipalities have begun prohibiting natural gas to new builds, including Vancouver, starting in 2030.
Getting it out of our existing homes must now be a focus. This requires exchanging gas furnaces, fireplaces, stoves and dryers to electric heating/cooling pumps and appliances.
Today, about 65% of Canada’s electricity comes from renewable energy sources. In 2018, some 96% of electricity in Ontario was produced from zer0-emitting sources: 60% from nuclear, 26% from hydroelectricity, 7% from wind, and 2% from solar. The wind and solar portions are now expanding rapidly.
So despite much propaganda to the contrary, plugging into the electrical grid is healthier than burning fossil fuels, and this goes for electric vehicles too (University of Toronto study). As more renewable power is added to the grid each year, the benefits of the switch increase immediately and exponentially.
According to the New York Times, America has more work to do as it presently uses natural gas to produce about 38% of its electricity, 39% in California, 53% in Texas and almost 90% in Delaware.
Individuals can see more steps on a household level in changes towards a plant-based diet and transportation improvements, here: How I cut my use of fossil fuels: Tips from the pros.
;
