Banning new gas installations is an easy one. We should not be pumping gas into people’s homes.
Wood fireplaces is a tough one. The ACT did it, but we don’t burn wood for electricity and wood isn’t as prone to leaking. The problem is that wood smoke is carcinogenic.
The problem is in places like Tasmania when the elec goes out. We lost power at the end of winter last year for 6 days becase storms took out many power lines. We used our little camper van and ran an extension cord for the fridge and a couple lights and USB charging in the house . A back 2 burner portable gas stove for cooking and we fired up the wood fireplace for heating, usually run heat pumps.
Would have been horrific not to have the wood stove as a heating backup but we were fine becase we had it. Mny people lost power for much longer.
Similar thing after the NZ Christchurch earthquake.
If peoplw only used them for emergency backup wed be fine bit alas… Same reaosn arseholes keep flying, driving and voting ALP/LNP no matter the consequences.
As to toxic pollution, we kill 11,000 people a year from transport emisisons (30 a day) and don’t seem to care ?
People in Australia don’t have any other choice. Our cities are designed so poorly and have such terrible infrastructure and public transport that walking, cycling, or taking public transport just aren’t viable. And our lack of high speed rail makes intercity travel via anything other than planes a non-starter most of the time. (And, of course, for international travel there basically can never be a viable alternative to flying for Australians.)
We need to seriously work on improving our city and inter-city planning and transport. Which definitely starts by supporting the Greens, especially in local council elections.
Yes, that too. But more often than not, the best ways to make driving less appealing are also directly ways to make cycling more appealing. For example, lowing speed limits and traffic-calmed residential streets. Modal filters that allow bikes through but force cars to go a different way. Reducing the number of car lanes or removing car parking in order to have room for a bike path. There are rarely things that make driving less appealing that can’t also be framed as per se making cycling more appealing.
Banning new gas installations is an easy one. We should not be pumping gas into people’s homes.
Wood fireplaces is a tough one. The ACT did it, but we don’t burn wood for electricity and wood isn’t as prone to leaking. The problem is that wood smoke is carcinogenic.
4% of houses in the ACT use fireplaces for heating, and are responsible for 50% of PM2.5 pollution. I love fireplaces, but I’d never install one.
Heat pumps and induction ALL THE WAY BABYYY
Wood’s also (eventually) carbon neutral as long as the forest is replanted. Gas isn’t
Wood leaks sap all the time :(
The problem is in places like Tasmania when the elec goes out. We lost power at the end of winter last year for 6 days becase storms took out many power lines. We used our little camper van and ran an extension cord for the fridge and a couple lights and USB charging in the house . A back 2 burner portable gas stove for cooking and we fired up the wood fireplace for heating, usually run heat pumps.
Would have been horrific not to have the wood stove as a heating backup but we were fine becase we had it. Mny people lost power for much longer.
Similar thing after the NZ Christchurch earthquake.
If peoplw only used them for emergency backup wed be fine bit alas… Same reaosn arseholes keep flying, driving and voting ALP/LNP no matter the consequences.
As to toxic pollution, we kill 11,000 people a year from transport emisisons (30 a day) and don’t seem to care ?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-24/air-pollution-modelling-university-of-melbourne-traffic/102015778
People in Australia don’t have any other choice. Our cities are designed so poorly and have such terrible infrastructure and public transport that walking, cycling, or taking public transport just aren’t viable. And our lack of high speed rail makes intercity travel via anything other than planes a non-starter most of the time. (And, of course, for international travel there basically can never be a viable alternative to flying for Australians.)
We need to seriously work on improving our city and inter-city planning and transport. Which definitely starts by supporting the Greens, especially in local council elections.
Even in places with good public transport and biking options, people still choose to drive. We need to make driving less appealing.
Yes, that too. But more often than not, the best ways to make driving less appealing are also directly ways to make cycling more appealing. For example, lowing speed limits and traffic-calmed residential streets. Modal filters that allow bikes through but force cars to go a different way. Reducing the number of car lanes or removing car parking in order to have room for a bike path. There are rarely things that make driving less appealing that can’t also be framed as per se making cycling more appealing.