WELCOME TO THE CLIMATE ACTION TEAM
Team members are committed to promoting climate action to reduce carbon emissions that are driving the climate crisis we are experiencing. We are volunteers working in Los Angeles and Orange County for clean air, water and energy in order to protect the planet and the public health of our children, communities, especially those of low income, communities of color.
Mission Statement
Why Building Electrification?
DEFINITION: The term “building electrification” or “building decarbonization” refers to the process of phasing out gas infrastructure utilized for cooking and heating in buildings – which are powered by fossil fuels – and instead transitioning to the use of electricity – mainly powered by solar, wind and other sources of zero-carbon electricity. To make a significant dent in our carbon emissions, proactive action is needed to transition the construction of new buildings away from fossil fuels. Without electrifying buildings and generating that electricity from renewable sources, neither California nor Riverside will reach its climate goal of being carbon neutral before 2045. While buildings today rely on a variety of different fuels, fossil fuels such as natural gas and propane are used to power furnaces, boilers, and water heaters. In the kitchen, fossil fuels are used to power stovetops and ovens. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, residential and commercial buildings account for 40% of carbon emissions nationwide. Gas appliances are responsible for over 50 million tons of GHG emissions annually.
COST-EFFECTIVE FOR HOUSING: All-Electric buildings have been proven to be cost-effective for new construction for nearly all building types since most electric appliances have similar or lower operating costs compared to natural gas appliances. According to an Energy and Environmental Economics report commissioned by the California Energy Commission, “building electrification is a lower-cost, lower-risk and longer-term strategy in comparison to “renewable natural gas”.
MASSIVE PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFIT: Research from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health found that replacing all of California’s gas appliances with electric appliances would prevent 900 cases of respiratory illnesses, lower health care costs by $3.5 billion and save 350 lives every year.
CLEAN JOB CREATION AND JUST TRANSITION: Californians should not have to choose between economic prosperity and protecting our environment. A UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation Report about building decarbonization workforce needs and recommendations found that electrifying 100% of California’s existing and new buildings by 2045 would create over 100,000 full-time equivalent jobs, even after accounting for losses in the fossil fuel industry.