[kibwen]

Forget burning, even pumping gas to residences is itself a big source of emissions, because of how leaky the pipes are. Between two to seven percent of all gas put into the system is lost directly to the atmosphere, and it's a very potent greenhouse gas.

One way or the other, it needs to go away. It's not performative, it's necessary for achieving long-term emissions goals, and it's low-hanging fruit.

[simoncion]

> One way or the other, it needs to go away.

Sure, agreed.

> It's not performative...

Right now it very much is because, as you say:

> ...it's low-hanging fruit.

As I said:

> ...banning natgas cookstoves is a few pennies saved on like a thousand dollar expenditure.

and

> [Low-impact, high-visibility stuff like that is done because] it's way easier than making a real dent in the underlying problem

If you'll pardon the mixed metaphors: When it comes to environmental stuff, a lot of the time, the low-hanging fruit isn't worth picking because the high-hanging fruit is the thing that's the immediate wildfire hazard.

[dd36]

How is residential natural gas use not high-hanging fruit?

Precluding new residential infrastructure is high-hanging fruit. It precludes leaky infrastructure.

[rhaway84773]

Setting aside the validity of your claim that it’s just a “few Pennie’s on a thousand dollar expenditure (which I strongly disagree with…banning natural gas hookups would be worth it even if climate change wasn’t a problem).

Your argument basically boils down to “I’m in debt and need to start spending thousands of dollars less. Cutting out this completely unnecessary expenditure will only save me a few dollars so I shouldn’t cut out this completely unnecessary expense because it won’t save me all the thousands I need to save”.

[Scalestein]

I'd say a more accurate metaphor would be "I'm in debt and decided to ignore my biggest high interest loan in order to fully pay off my smallest low interest loan so I feel good about something"

Sure it's good you have less debt but while you were resolving the small loan you were racking up massive interest on the big one

[BeFlatXIII]

If I ordered the non-avocado toast at my weekly brunch, I'd be able to afford a house.

[cma]

> and it's a very potent greenhouse gas.

It is still good to fix if it contributes to a significant amount of warming, but it isn't cumulative like CO2: it eventually degrades in the atmosphere.

[margalabargala]

> it eventually degrades in the atmosphere.

...into CO2

[jwilk]

It degrades to CO₂.

[cma]

A much less potent greenhouse gas, same thing as if it had been burned and not leaked.