a gas stovetop with all four elements burning
Image: Getty

ScienceMay 25, 2023

Are we jumping the gun on a gas stove ban?

a gas stovetop with all four elements burning
Image: Getty

Phase out natural gas before affordable alternatives are in place could risk further burdening an already overstretched national grid, writes John Tookey.

Do you have gas? It’s a personal question that may cause offence – and not always for the obvious reason. Because the way we choose to cook or heat our homes is increasingly becoming something of a sore point.

Since the Climate Change Commission issued draft advice recommending the banning of new gas installations by 2025, anyone with a gas hob or central heating has been put on notice.

With the government’s gas transition plan due for consultation this year, a long-term plan to phase out gas will require everyone affected to start thinking about the alternatives. But it may not be a simple transition. Moves to cancel the humble gas hob even ignited another culture war in the United Sates.

On one side, some environmentalists and health researchers point to the role of gas in global warming and respiratory conditions like asthma. On the other, conservatives have called it another “woke” outrage. One celebrity chef even taped himself to a stove in protest.

Nevertheless, New York recently became the first US state to ban new residential natural gas connections from 2026. This followed the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which introduced financial incentives for homeowners to switch from gas to electricity.

What are the arguments for a gas ban in Aotearoa New Zealand, then? Will it make a difference to our emissions profile? And are we likely to see something like the New York policy introduced?

Big change for minimal gain?

First the good news. When burned efficiently, natural gas – the stuff that’s piped into your home if you’re on the mains – produces 40% less carbon dioxide than coal, and 30% less than oil.

The amount of contaminants it contains (such as mercury and sulphur dioxide) is insignificant. It creates no soot or dust, and emits minimal particulates when it’s burned. Overall, it’s among the cleanest of the fossil fuels.

But natural gas is primarily methane – an active greenhouse gas which traps 86 times more atmospheric heat than the same amount of carbon dioxide over 20 years.

A recent study of gas stoves in homes found the appliances can leak unburnt methane and nitrogen oxides even when turned off. This damages indoor air quality and creates more emissions than it saves in carbon dioxide from the cleaner burn.

Given the country’s commitment under the Climate Change Response (Zero Emissions) Amendment Act to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to 50% below gross 2005 levels by 2030, the case against gas may seem clear. Just how urgent the situation is, however, is open to debate.

As of 2017, New Zealand’s natural gas consumption was 0.1% of the global total (putting us 55th in the world). Electricity and heat production accounted for 13% of New Zealand’s gross carbon dioxide emissions in 2020, but domestic consumption of gas and production of CO₂ are relatively low.

By contrast, agriculture-based emissions are very high. Livestock produced 90% of gross methane emissions in 2020.

With natural gas making up such a tiny portion of the country’s overall emissions, does ending home use really add up? Might a ban be seen as tokenism – or become the political hot potato it has in the US?

Renewable electricity alternatives like solar panels are still largely up to individuals to afford and install. (Photo: Getty Images)

Invest in alternatives first

In the end, it’s about priorities. But it’s unlikely the supply of natural gas to New Zealand homes can end soon. The Climate Change Commission’s 2023 draft advice recommends the government introduce “targeted support” to help lower-income households replace gas infrastructure (perhaps similar to what is proposed in the US).

This in turn will require significant investment in the electricity sector first. As many have witnessed first-hand, the country’s electricity infrastructure can’t always withstand extreme weather events. The thought of going without hot food or water, especially in winter, might make one think twice about ditching gas.

Yes, sustainable and renewable sources of power are essential in the long term. But while there are alternatives to relying on an unreliable national grid, those who want to install solar panels and battery storage have to pay from their own pockets.

Moving off-grid is a slow process, too, even for for those who can afford it. And it achieves only incremental change in the wider energy system. Given the marginal reduction in overall emissions from a move away from natural gas, reliable alternatives must be in place first.

Grants to support individuals and communities looking to develop local micro-power generation (such as solar and wind turbines) will reduce demand on overstretched infrastructure. The same applies for hydrogen fuel cells for housing when these are launched commercially.

We need to put the means to develop alternative sources of power in place first, then phase out natural gas. Not before.

John Tookey is professor of construction management at the Auckland University of Technology

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

Keep going!
An all-too-powerful kiwi (Photo: Getty Images)
An all-too-powerful kiwi (Photo: Getty Images)

ScienceMay 23, 2023

DOC to ‘raise concerns’ over video of kiwi being handled at American zoo

An all-too-powerful kiwi (Photo: Getty Images)
An all-too-powerful kiwi (Photo: Getty Images)

The Department of Conservation will be speaking with a zoo in America after videos shared to social media showed people handling a kiwi under bright lights. 

Miami Zoo is home to Paora, a kiwi chick born in Florida in 2019. At the time, it was reported the bird had received its own blessing and naming ceremony and was a “beacon of hope” for preservation of the species. 

But videos shared across social media this week have led to concern among some New Zealanders that Paora is being mistreated. The Spinoff first encountered the video on TikTok, but found the same footage being discussed on Reddit and Twitter. The video is captioned “He literally was like a little puppy” and shows people patting and scratching Paora as if it was a pet. Famously a nocturnal bird, the kiwi was being handled under bright lights. 

“The person clearly had no bloody clue what they were on about and it makes me quite sad to see our national bird being paraded around for profit,” wrote one person on Reddit. Another labelled it “borderline abuse” and said you should “stroke birds with gentle, light strokes”. 

A video of Paora shared by the Miami Zoo on Twitter back in March advertised a “one-of-a-kind encounter” with the young kiwi. “Be warned: once you’ve seen a kiwi, you’ll never forget it,” the video, which again largely showed the bird being observed under light, said. People in the video can be seen touching the kiwi and posing for selfies with it.

Many of the comments under this video are also from outraged New Zealanders and have been posted over the past 24 hours. One person tagged Forest and Bird, who said they were aware of the video and had been in touch with the Department of Conservation.

Across social media, many others said they had complained to DOC. In a statement, a spokesperson for the agency thanked those who had come forward about the video. “We will raise these concerns with Miami Zoo… to try to improve the housing and handling situation,” they said.

The spokesperson said kiwi were a taonga species and the protection and welfare of the birds was a high priority. “In New Zealand, we have specific standards to handle and care for kiwi, both in the wild and in captivity. New Zealand best practice has been developed to ensure kiwi are handled and housed safely and respectfully,” the spokesperson said. 

There are, said DOC, about 60 kiwi living offshore, compared with 85 birds in captivity in New Zealand (and an estimated 70,000 in the wild). The offshore population is managed separately from the local kiwi and Paora should be looked after by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, of which the Miami Zoo is a member.

“The AZA has a progressive, science-based approach to animal welfare. AZA grants accreditation to zoos, aquariums and wildlife parks that have clearly demonstrated their commitment to positive welfare. This approach champions welfare from the animal’s perspective and it underpins all that they do,” said DOC.

While there are several ways to see a kiwi in captivity in New Zealand, none would involve touching or patting the bird. And they would all be under the cover of darkness. At Auckland Zoo, for example, the kiwi enclosure is underground and close to pitch black, so much so that it’s common to miss spotting a kiwi at all. As Stuff noted, the Department of Conservation’s kiwi best practice manual warns that “special care must be exercised when holding and interacting with the birds”.

A petition to help “save” Paora has attracted over 2,000 signatures online.

The Spinoff has approached Miami Zoo for comment.