A new alliance of major property companies, leading chefs and health professionals, are joining forces to phase-out gas from kitchens and create universal access to safe and sustainable cooking.
The Global Cooksafe Coalition was launched on Tuesday in Sydney restaurant, Automata with all-electric cooking demonstrations by leading chefs, Darren Robertson (co-owner of Three Blue Ducks) and Palisa Anderson (owner of Chat Thai/Boon Luck Farm).
While the contribution of burning fossil fuels, like coal and gas, to the climate crisis is well understood, experts are focused on increasing awareness of the health impacts of using gas in kitchens.
Children living in a home with gas stoves have a 42% increased risk of having current asthma, and a 24% greater chance of being diagnosed with asthma at some point in life, according to research by the International Journal of Epidemiology. A 2018 study by the Medical Journal of Australia estimated that cooking with gas is responsible for up to 12% of the burden of childhood asthma in Australia.
Major real estate company, Lendlease will commit to an end to gas in kitchens of new developments by 2030 and all-electric retrofits of existing properties by 2040 – the most ambitious commitment currently in place in Australia.
Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) is a founding partner of the Cooksafe Coalition and CEO, Davina Rooney said: “It’s a critical time right now because we’re in a stage where the World Health Organisation (WHO) tells us that over three million people have premature deaths due to fossil fuel cooking. This means there’s a tremendous opportunity for the future of cooking to be all-electric – better cooking, better for our health and better for the environment.”
Climate Councillor and public health physician, Dr Kate Charlesworth said, “The WHO estimates that approximately 50% of the world’s population relies on gas. Parents would be shocked to learn that a child living with gas cooking in the home faces a comparable risk of asthma to a child living with household cigarette smoke. In fact, cooking with gas is estimated to be responsible for up to 12% of the childhood asthma burden in Australia.
“From a health perspective, gas has a double health impact – it’s a substantial source of air pollution and it’s a fossil fuel that’s driving climate change.
“But the good news is that we have the solutions we need to stop cooking the planet. There’s been dramatic advances in the past few years in renewable energy, electricity access, electric cooking technologies and solar which is the cheapest energy source in history.”
Photo Credit: Nikki To.