Shannon Van Hoesen, shannon.vanhoesen@sierraclub.org
Kayah Swanson, kayah.swanson@sierraclub.org
Seattle, WA - Pollution from the combustion of fossil fuels in Washington’s homes and buildings is threatening human health and the climate, and those threats disproportionately burden vulnerable populations, according to a new report released by Sierra Club, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice.
“The Outdoor Pollution Is Coming From Inside The House: National Building Pollution Report” illustrates the severity of the climate, health, and environmental justice concerns posed by outdoor air pollution from buildings, a source that is largely overlooked and unregulated.
“We’ve known for a while now that in order to improve the health of our communities and planet, we have to reduce air and climate pollution, but we continue to use toxic methane gas to heat our homes in Washington,” said Dylan Plummer, Senior Field Organizer with Sierra Club. “This report makes it clear: the use of this fuel is poisoning Washingtonians right where we live, eat, sleep, and breathe. Our elected officials have a responsibility to regulate the use of these fuels and use all the tools at their disposal to help households switch to clean, efficient electric space and water heating.”
About 40% of Washington’s homes burn fossil fuels in building appliances, which emit over 5 times as much nitrogen oxide (NOx)—a health-harming and climate-disrupting type of pollution—as the state’s gas-fired power plants. Within the 4-county jurisdiction of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) alone, building appliances emit over 30 times more NOx than power plants. Eliminating these emissions would be equivalent to turning off the NOx in nearly half the region’s heavy-duty vehicles.
Even worse, building pollution disproportionately harms Washingtonians of color. On average, people of color in Washington are exposed to 13% more outdoor PM2.5 formed by residential gas combustion than white residents. This data makes it clear that a failure to stop the burning of fossil fuels in our homes is a direct threat to the health and safety of our communities, especially communities of color.
"Our communities face unrelenting pollution both inside and outside our homes,” says Annika Larson, Federal Policy Associate at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. "We produce less pollution, but we bear its harshest consequences because of substandard housing and environmental conditions. This recent report emphasizes that pollution from fossil-fuel home equipment is a major climate and health threat, further deepening environmental injustices. The message is clear: building decarbonization must prioritize our communities."
“These are pollutants that are damaging people’s lungs, hearts and brains. They really need to be brought under control,” said Barbara Gottlieb, national Environment & Health Program Director for Physicians for Social Responsibility. “It’s time to get these fossil-fueled polluters out of our buildings and communities. As health professionals, we call for replacing them with clean electric-powered space and water heaters. We’ll get cleaner air and better health as a result.”
The report compiles data from across government and expert sources showing the extent of the harm caused to people and the climate from fossil fuel burning space and water heating equipment like HVAC systems, furnaces, boilers, and water heaters.
August marked one year since Sierra Club and 25 other organizations petitioned the EPA to regulate outdoor air emissions from buildings and set zero-NOx standards for appliances. The agency has not yet responded to that petition.
State and local governments are beginning to take action to address building pollution, and initial funding solutions from the federal government, like the Inflation Reduction Act’s Home Energy Rebates Program, are beginning to roll out to support the transition to zero-pollution technology. But more action is needed urgently to protect Washington’s communities and for the state to meet climate, public health, and justice goals. For that reason, this new report concludes with a policy menu of local, state, and federal policy actions that could help reduce climate-warming and health-harming pollution.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.