ELECTRIC STOVES FOR THE CLIMATE
The following column by Alan Northcutt appeared in the May 26th edition of the Waco Tribune-Herald. The many impacts of the climate crisis—from heatwaves to drought to floods—are caused by mankind’s combustion of fossil fuel, which has increased the heat content of the planet. Ironically, in industrialized nations, we almost never visualize this actual combustion—with the exception of seeing the flames of our gas cookstoves. Observing the flames of propane in my home stovetop, I realized immediately I must eliminate this symbol of fossil fuel’s damage to our planet. How common are gas stoves? The most recent report of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (USEIA) found that in 2015, 63% of U.S. households used electricity for cooking, 33% used natural gas, and 5% used propane. Natural gas (fossil gas, methane) is typically delivered through gas hookups from utility companies, while propane (liquified petroleum gas, LPG) comes from outdoor tanks at individual residences
