As cities scramble to meet their ambitious emissions reduction goals, local governments are increasingly looking to shift from fossil fuels to cleaner forms of energy.
New York City, for example, has become the latest major city to ban the use of natural gas in new buildings, reports Reuters. As part of the new legislation, passed last Wednesday, new buildings in America’s biggest city — home to more than 8.8 million inhabitants — will have to use electricity for cooking and heating.
“The bill to ban the use of gas in new buildings will (help) us to transition to a greener future and (reach) carbon neutrality by the year 2050,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, noting “We are in a climate crisis and must take all necessary steps to fight climate change and protect our city.”
The legislation will apply to new buildings under seven stories high at the end of 2023 and those over seven stories in 2027. The legislation falls in line with the climate emissions of New York State, which pledged in 2019 to source all of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040.
