Act now to urge Olympia to reduce pollution from fossil fuels in homes and buildings
This latest heat wave and wildfire smoke have been challenging for me as an exercise enthusiast and as a physician concerned with public health. The new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has also forced me to consider a new inconvenient truth: that we are failing to meet the Paris Climate Accord goals meant to prevent the worst climate change impacts.
The IPCC finds the goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees by 2100 no longer achievable, and with carbon pollution still increasing, we may unfortunately be on track to exceed 1.5 degrees in the next decade. The IPCC finds that without immediate bold action we could see temperatures rise catastrophically, as much as 3.6 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
The horrifying prospect of an uninhabitable planet this century could make us feel helpless, but we can take political action right here in Olympia that can make a difference.
Most people aren’t aware that homes and commercial buildings are responsible for 40 percent of all carbon emissions. Local governments can enact regulations to make buildings less polluting. Remarkably, it is feasible to nearly eliminate this major source of climate pollution over time by changing from gas to electric appliances, especially since electricity is now being generated very cleanly in Washington.
This can be done cost effectively. We start with new construction, where building all electric is already cheaper, and replace gas appliances at the end of their natural life expectancy. To accelerate the change from gas to electricity, utilities and our elected officials could support electric conversion subsidies, especially for those with lower incomes. The cost of operating modern electric heat pump furnaces is already competitive with gas.
Not only are gas-burning appliances in buildings a surprisingly large contributor to climate pollution, burning gas indoors is also a major public health problem, a threat that also could be addressed by moving from gas to electric appliances.
Gas burned in stoves, furnaces, water heaters and clothes dryers releases nitrogen oxides, ultrafine particles, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds. Nitrogen dioxide decreases lung function and can exacerbate and lead to the development of asthma. Children in homes with gas stoves have a 42 percent increased risk of asthma symptoms. One hour of cooking on a gas stove indoors produces nitrogen dioxide levels that would be illegal if found outdoors. Fine particulate pollution can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
A paper published in the respected British journal Nature found that homes and buildings are now a larger source of toxic air pollution in the U.S. than either the power generation or transportation sectors.
We must make our buildings safer and cleaner, and you can help by attending the Olympia City Council Land Use and Environment Committee meeting addressing fossil fuel-free buildings at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19. Register now to attend the virtual meeting.
Your attendance will encourage the committee to move forward on steps to decrease pollution from fossil fuels in homes and buildings. We’ll be joining Seattle, Tacoma and Bellingham, which have taken up similar efforts, and also California, which has just adopted a statewide building code incentivizing electrification of all new construction. Lend your voice locally to take on the greatest public health threat of our time: worsening climate change.
Dr. Gordon Wheat, a primary care physician in Olympia for 33 years, is now the coordinator for the Olympia Physicians for Social Responsibility Climate Task Force. Reach him at gwheat12@gmail.com