Don’t be gaslighted by foes of electrification

 (Guest Opinion by Carole Resnick & Anshul Gupta)

Updated: Mar. 29, 2023

In this Jan. 11, 2006 file photo, a gas-lit flame burns on a natural gas stove in Stuttgart, Germany. (Thomas Kienzle | AP)AP

What’s the rapidly growing trend that Germany, Washington State, New York City, Ithaca, Montreal and now the city of Beacon have joined?

In all these places, new homes and small buildings will stop installing heating and hot water — and in most cases, cooking — appliances fueled by polluting methane gas by year-end, extending the practice to larger buildings within three years or less.

Energy, climate, and building experts from municipalities to states to nations are all reaching the same conclusion: The most cost-effective and energy-efficient way to tame the health- and climate-destroying pollution from burning fuels in buildings and vehicles is to power them with electricity. Electric vehicles and heat pumps use only a fraction of the energy of their fuel-based counterparts and will see their environmental footprint continue to decline further as the electric grid transitions to cleaner generation. Like most climate solutions, eliminating combustion also comes with tremendous public health benefits due to reduced pollution.

With the U.S. becoming the world’s largest exporter of liquified natural gas, we now see both gas and gasoline prices soar in response to geopolitical disturbances. EV sales are already booming because owners prefer their handling, fuel efficiency and low maintenance. Many builders and home buyers are choosing all-electric buildings that are superior in comfort, health, affordability and emissions.

None of these benefits have prevented the fossil-fuel industry and its allies from attempting to sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt about our clean energy future with culture wars over gas stoves and scaremongering over grid capacity and reliability.

Research highlighting the health risks from gas stoves has been accumulating for decades. American Medical Association, American Lung Association, New York State Public Health Association, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, and all state chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics deem gas stoves a health hazard, particularly as asthma triggers for children. A recent public statement by a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissioner just served to bring a longstanding issue into limelight that some saw as an opportunity to help spark an anti-electrification backlash.

New York’s climate scoping plan recommends a prohibition on new gas stove installations starting in 2035. The provocateurs of the controversy seem to be missing the point that next decade, New Yorkers may want a gas stove as badly as they want lead paint or asbestos in their homes today. According to the Energy Information Administration, more than a quarter of U.S. homes are already all-electric and a majority of Americans do not cook on gas.

Our electric grid is stressed in the summer while the heat pumps add to the winter electricity demand. There are programs and incentives to help steer EV owners’ charging behavior towards off-peak hours. Cold-climate heat pumps and EVs would be just fine in Upstate New York; much-colder Montreal’s ban on fossil fuels in new construction starts next year, and 80% of new cars sold in Norway are now 100% electric. By the time the climate law’s mandates fully take effect in the middle of the next decade, these technologies will be much cheaper and more versatile, with advances in microgrids and vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-vehicle charging..

Even fossil-fueled heating doesn’t work during power failures without expensive generators. Electrification of our homes and vehicles actually has the potential to improve safety. Just like we stock up on groceries before storms, we’ll be able to stock up on electrons. A fully charged Ford F-150 Lighting can power basic cooking and heating equipment for two to three days in an emergency. Anyway, the climate plan doesn’t prohibit backup generators or pellet stoves.

While power failures may not warrant delaying electrification, they indeed are a cause for serious concern. No amount of gas can help with electrically powered medical equipment, for instance. The frequency and duration of storm-related outages have been creeping up due to the worsening climate crisis and lackadaisical maintenance of our power distribution infrastructure. Inadequate winterization of substations caused widespread power outages in the Buffalo area during the historic Christmas blizzard. Our decrepit grid needs significant investments, regardless of our climate goals.

Similarly, electrification isn’t just about the climate; it’s also about doing more with less, more cleanly, more healthfully and more reliably. Instead of assailing this beautiful future with disinformation and divisiveness, let’s use beneficial electrification as a reason to unite for safer, healthier energy and demand a robust, world-class electric grid.


Carole Resnick, of Syracuse, is a member of Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE), which advocates for a timely and effective transition to renewable energy in New York state.

 Anshul Gupta, of Valhalla, is a research scientist and state steering committee member of the Climate Reality Project, an international not-for-profit organization founded and led by former Vice President Al Gore.