Cooking Electric: Why Induction Stoves Matter for Human and Climate Health

Building electrification has emerged as a key strategy for both reducing climate pollution and addressing serious health risks associated with fossil fuel-burning appliances.* Combustion from such appliances, including HVAC systems, water heaters and gas stoves, can lead to indoor air pollution levels that exceed EPA’s legal limits for outdoor air pollution – and these appliances are responsible for 10% of US greenhouse gas emissions[i]. Fossil-fuel appliances collectively emit double the dangerous nitrogen oxides (NOx) - a potent greenhouse gas and air pollutant[ii] - as power plants, and leak methane even when turned off[iii].

In addition to climate impacts, NOx has serious health ramifications. Gas stoves in the home are responsible for 12.7% of childhood asthma cases[iv] and are associated with other health risks including neurocognitive decline[v]; yet a lack of awareness about these health impacts persists, as do misconceptions about the effectiveness of transitioning from gas to electric induction stoves.
Getting off fossil fuels and going electric, combined with transitioning to renewable electricity sources, is a critical pathway to reach urgent climate targets and protect public health. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) includes new incentives for residential building electrification, including rebates for induction stoves and cooktops, but significant education is needed to support adoption of these healthier technologies.


[i] https://rmi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/rmi_factsheet_appliance_pollution.pdf

[ii] https://www.lung.org/clean-air/outdoors/what-makes-air-unhealthy/nitrogen-dioxide

[iii] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/01/27/gas-stoves-kitchens-pose-risk-public- health-planet-research-finds/

[iv] https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/1/75

[v] https://rmi.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/gas_appliance_equity_factsheet.pdf

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