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The New York City skyline is seen from the Summit One Vanderbilt observation deck.
The images are courtesy of Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg.
New construction has led to the elimination of gas hookups in the Big Apple. The New York City Council passed a bill that prohibits the use of fossil fuels in new buildings.
70 percent of New York City's greenhouse gas emissions come from building emissions. The ban will apply to structures under seven stories tall starting in 2024 and to larger buildings in 2027. According to a recent study by the clean energy think tank, the measure will cut down on pollution that fuels climate change by 2.1 million tons by the year 2040, which is the same impact as taking 450,000 cars off the road.
New York City has a big problem with buildings.
Natural gas has been sold as a cleaner alternative to other fossil fuels. Scientists and a growing number of cities are no longer buying the argument. M methane is a greenhouse gas that has more than 25 times the global warming effect of carbon dioxide over a 100 year period. Methane leaks from wells to people's homes. The US joined over 100 other countries in committing to cut methane emissions by 30 percent by the year 2020.
Berkeley became the first city in the US to ban gas hookups in new construction. The gas industry has fought back by lobbying for policies that prevent local governments from implementing such bans.
New York City's new measure, which Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to sign into law, is significant not only because of the city's size but also because of its cold climate. Gas proponents have argued that it would be difficult to ax gas heating in places with cold winters because electric heating could overload the grid and cause power outages. The bill calls for studies on the feasibility of using heat pump technology and on how it will affect the city's electricity grid.
The measure has the support of Con Ed, a utility that provides both electricity and gas to New Yorkers. The grid is well-poised to support the transition to heating electrification, it said in a November testimony to city council. The grid usually sees peak demand during the summer when residents use air conditioning, and it also sees lower electricity use in the winter.
The director of Food & Water Watch said in a statement today that New York City is taking a massive step off fossil fuels.
Related:
The battle over climate change was sparked by your gas stove.
