This crusade against gas stoves is fascinating to watch. I believe we are observing the pattern for how "science" is used to manipulate populations. This effort has all the hallmarks of a disinformation campaign. Sudden emergence, weak or falsified evidence, an engineered emergency, using children to emotionally manipulate, politicians signally adherence, extreme calls to action, etc.
It's an interesting phenomenon; at its core is the "correct" idea that gas stoves aren't the most efficient and lead to indoor pollution but it is such a negligible problem that the effort put into legislation against it seems like a giant waste of time an resources.
I feel like most people are in the camp of, "Who cares? Is this really something we're worried about?" At least I am in that camp but there's also likely a term for ignoring the small problems because of the big problems.
I’ve felt this way too. Suddenly this massive propaganda campaign has sprung up on the left to demonize gas stoves. Comment threads including this one are packed with lies about how electric is more energy efficient (only if you don’t consider how the energy is created), work as well as gas (no they don’t, not even new induction ones, are as reliable as gas (not during a power outage, and not other times either), and so forth. They’re trotted out on every single thread, the same spiraling arguments as people try to combat the lies and distortions. It’s like this is the latest windmill that progressives are being encouraged to tilt at.
I love my gas stove but it really is inferior in most ways to electric or more specifically induction. I have extremely good ventilation which most people do not.
> Suddenly this massive propaganda campaign has sprung up on the left to demonize gas stoves.
I don't see it this way. Articles and scientific journals started highlighting health issues related gas ranges in homes years ago, and with greater frequency in the last 2-3 years. None of the discourse I've observed is remotely novel from a health and safety and environmental perspective.
> only if you don’t consider how the energy is created
Where I live most electricity is renewable (hydroelectric) supplemented by nuclear. There's no universe where gas is more efficient for me.
It seems like it's also a good idea to move away from fossil fuels for electricity. With respect to this discussion, one does not necessarily preclude the other.
> work as well as gas (no they don’t, not even new induction ones
Induction ranges are very compelling. Have you used one? You can buy countertop one- or two-element ranges and they're delightful.
If you want to fire something up at high heat quickly, it's hard to beat gas, but induction comes close enough in practice. In truth, I most often cook at the lowest possible heat setting on my range and I wish it could go lower still. I wouldn't have any issues with induction.
> not during a power outage
My gas range's starters won't work without electricity. I definitely don't stock matches in my home but I could get it going if I really wanted. But then there's no way to run the exhaust fan? It's neither practical nor safe.
I don't think any of the demonization of gas stoves is unwarranted, but I'd struggle to call it that. It seems like mostly reasonable discourse, albeit with mostly unreasonable people.
There's articles posted to this very site that point to research 3 and 4 years ago. This has been researched for years. Here's a study from almost 20 years ago, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16268829/
> lies about how electric is more energy efficient
Not a lie, induction is up to 3x efficient, partially because gas shoots the heat component around your pot/pan and heats up the room, whereas induction's energy mostly goes into the pan.
> work as well as gas (no they don’t, not even new induction ones
Explain?
>are as reliable as gas (not during a power outage, and not other times either
During power outage, sure, but nothing wrong with keeping a nat gas grill outside where it's properly ventilated. Can you also explain the "other times" electric is not as reliable as gas?
Induction is more energy efficient if you had any idea how induction cooking works. I guess major municipal gas infrastructure is a zero-cost, zero-maintenance feature too.
I'm not saying "rah rah I hate gas stoves", I'm saying "wow, if they are a source for major indoor air pollution, and we should be migrating off residential fossil fuel anyway, and induction is damned near as good if not better and safer than gas, then everyone should consider induction anyway".
Feel free to also ignore the many people saying that venting should be in the calculus of the air-quality discussion. That doesn't fit your narrative.
Yeah, a report got released after being worked on.
>weak or falsified evidence
I guess articles like this will hash it out, but it's a bold assertion.
>an engineered emergency
I don't think anyone has called this an emergency of any kind.
>using children to emotionally manipulate
Debatable but hard to argue against.
>politicians signally adherence
My instinct would tell me this isn't something most on the left are campaigning on, while reactionary rightists are probably tweeting about freedom (for gas stoves, not the poor, the workers, the non-whites or the ill).
>extreme calls to action
A ban is being discussed, yes. Sometimes government regulates dangerous consumer goods.
Agree - any propagandist paying attention the last couple of years is acutely aware of the contemporary efficacy of labeling "Science" as a manipulative stiumuls. Run a few biased "analyses", pay for placement in a journal and/or get promoted in a few clickbait news rings, syndication through social media...inception into the minds of millions with relative ease.
