We Need to Talk About Your Stove

Uncanny Valley | WIRED

WIRED

Technology

4.1 • 572 Ratings

🗓️ 19 January 2023

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Gas stoves are so hot right now. A recent report found that emissions from gas cooktops are worsening both the environmental crisis and the health of the humans who use them. This knowledge has stoked a heated cultural debate in the US. Some people have piped up to advocate for phasing out gas stoves, while others have fired back that the government can pry gas stoves out of their cold (presumably because they stopped paying the gas bill) dead hands. While the controversy has blown up, the reality is that gas is a problematic energy source with many worrisome issues. Reducing our dependence on the appliances and the fossil-based fuels they consume will be no easy task.

This week on Gadget Lab, WIRED staff writer Amanda Hoover joins us to re-spark the gas stove debate, and talk about what we can actually do to fix the problems these old-school appliances are causing.

Show Notes

Read Amanda’s story about the gas stove culture wars.

Recommendations

Amanda recommends the Normal Gossip podcast. Lauren recommends getting a short term gym membership. Mike recommends the audiobook of Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums as read by Ethan Hawke.

Amanda Hoover can be found on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Lauren. Mike. Lauren, do you have gas? Okay, like we're close as podcast shows, but we're not this close. We're not talking about gas. Are you talking about gas stoves? I am indeed asking if you have a gas stove. Yes, I do have a gas stove and I also have a gas car, which I know, I know. You're giving me that look, but sometimes I give you a ride to work. All right. Well, that's not the type of gas we're talking about. We're talking about natural gas. Okay. Fair enough. And what exactly are we talking about? Well, let me ask you this. Have you ever felt the pressure to get rid of your gas stove? I have entertained the thoughts of it, but one, I am a renter,
0:39.1	and two, I kind of like the gas stove. Yeah, yeah. I'm in the same boat. Let's talk about it.
0:44.3	Yes, let's do this.
0:48.8	Hi, everyone. Welcome to Gadget Lab. I am Michael Coloria. I'm a senior editor at Wired. And I'm
0:57.4	Lauren Good. I'm a senior writer at Wired. And we are also joined by Wired staff writer Amanda Hoover.
1:02.6	Hello, Amanda. Hi. Great to be here. All right. Great to have you. If you're not up to speed on the
1:08.0	latest culture war, well, I'll break it down for you.
1:13.4	Everybody is mad about gas stoves.
1:14.4	They're fired up.
1:15.3	They are. They're sizzling.
1:16.3	It has sparked a conversation.
1:18.1	The conversation is getting hot.
1:19.6	Yes.
1:20.1	It turns out that using gas to heat your home and cook your oatmeal may not be the best
1:24.5	thing for the health of the environment or the health of nearby humans.
1:27.7	This is not new information, but a recent study about how gas stoves can cause asthma and children
1:33.0	and release toxins into the air has sparked a fresh debate about these appliances.
1:38.2	Amanda, you wrote a story for Wired about how this debate is heating up.
1:43.1	Oh, yes.
1:44.3	I'm going to fire whoever wrote this script.
1:46.3	Before we get into the insane political angle surrounding the debate over gas stoves and the homes,
1:51.9	what is the actual problem that people are talking about?
	...

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