We are creating a fast transition to healthy, clean-energy buildings.
California will not be able to meet its emissions reduction goals without getting dangerous methane gas out of buildings, both new and old.
While CO2 stays in the atmosphere for a much longer time than methane, methane is 80 times more potent than CO2 in trapping in heat. This means reducing methane emissions is the fastest strategy for slowing down warming, according to the 2021 IPCC report. The focus on methane is fairly recent, with promising possibilities if drastic action is taken. If we can act quickly to cut methane emissions, the rate of global warming could be reduced by up to 30%.
Our homes and workspaces are also the places where we are likely to experience some of the worst pollutants and toxins like nitrous oxide, formaldehyde and dirty particulate matter. With a focus on cleaning up buildings through electrification campaigns, we are not only reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions, we are also improving our communities’ health and cognitive abilities.
In July 2020, Berkeley became the first city in the US to eliminate natural gas hookups for new low-rise residential construction, ending the era of automatically and mindlessly extending the infrastructure that accelerates the climate crisis. Five California cities and counting have joined Berkeley in passing All Electric Reach Codes now. 43 municipalities across California have now instituted a ban on new residential natural gas and are working to incentivize the shift to electric technologies in buildings instead. Read on about Berkeley here or Read on how Santa Rosa did it here.
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