Gas stoves ignite heated debates

Environmental activists have angered many with their recent calls to ban gas stoves, widely considered a basic commodity. The Energy Information Administration reports that around 35% of American households rely on natural gaspowered stoves, raising concerns among progressives due to an array of new discoveries on the harmful effects of gas stoves on human and environmental health.

According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, approximately 13% of respiratory illnesses in children, such as asthma, are linked to gas stove usage. Furthermore, long term studies performed by Stanford University on gas stoves found that they emit dangerous greenhouse gases like nitrogen dioxide and methane. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has already proposed a bill to ban gas stoves, and other officials, including some California policymakers, are taking notice. Politico reports that around 100 California cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, have started enacting similar bans, citing climate change prevention as a key motive.

Despite reasonable concerns over the health implications gas stoves bring, many disagree with the banning of them because they feel it is not the government’s place to interject in the private lives of citizens.

“God, Guns, Gas Stoves,” tweeted Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, referencing topics that he feels have been compromised in recent politics. Some Republicans have felt that their Democratic compatriots have gone too far, viewing their attempt to limit acc ess to gas stoves as an attack on individual rights.

Others find it counterintuitive to rid the nation of such an important and efficient tool in the average American kitchen. There s no strong alternatives to the traditional gas stove. According to a Constellation Energy article, the average electric stove uses up to three times as much energy as a gas stove, making it much more costly for consumers.

“Gas stoves are the most accessible cooking utility many people have. Even in remote areas, one can use a portable gas stove. Far to o many people rely on them to ban their use,” Junior Maxwell Zhao said.

According to a Brown University research paper from November 2019, the U.S. military alone produces around 51 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year, and the U.S. Department of Defense accounts for 80% of the government’s energy consumption. In comparison, gas stoves only account for 0.12% of greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. It is ironic that the government will go to lengths to ban people’s stoves when it responsible for far emissions. Even households, there are other appliances that produce much greater emissions like water heaters and furnaces. In other words, banning gas stoves would hardly make a dent in climate impact is insignificant, health issues related to gas stoves are still a problem. There is no benefit in banning something as useful as gas stoves, but regulations on manufacturers are essential to ensure the safety of consumers. The majority of hazardous gases from stoves originate from leaks, so producers need to be held to higher standards and have stricter safeguards in their tubing systems, a change that can be easily implemented. A ban would only harm American consumers; instead, more targeted solutions should be prioritized.

“I prefer gas stoves, as electric stoves are too inefficient and weak to cook with. There are so many things that are much worse for the environment. Banning gas stoves should not be our primary concern,” said.

Upon finishing the novel, I was imbued with grief that arose from the end of the characters’ stories. As much a sprawling epic as an intimate exploration of love and relationships, Gabrielle Zevin’s “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” crafts an unconventional, striking narrative. The story begins with a chance encounter between its two teenage protagonists: Samson “Sam” Masur—a half-Jewish half-Korean boy suffering from a permanent leg injury—and Sadie Green, a Jewish girl whose older sister has cancer. In the same hospital waiting room, the two connect over their shared love of video games. Zevin continues to document their lives for the next 40 years, detailing their relationship as friends, coworkers and foes—yet never lovers—as they start a video game company together.

While its expansive timeline calls for a spiraling plot, the novel never fails to portray the characters three-dimensionally; it is driven by its three main characters—Sam, Sadie and Marx Watanabe, Sam’s Japanese-American roommate who forms the third pillar of their company. Zevin exhibits meticulous attention to detail, unveiling the characters’ realistic emotions, histories and relationships. The book also excels in its exploration of video games, from comprehensive game descriptions to pressing issues such as cultural appropriation in the industry.

The novel is divided into 10 parts, with a blend of experimental and conventional storytelling. One part is written in second person during a climatic event, juxtaposing a tense, heartbreaking moment in the plot with a detached point of view to instill discomfort. Yet, the vivid penultimate part is where Zevin’s craft truly excels; written as a video game, it explores the characters’ stories within a new world, elevating the novel’s depth and weaving it together seamlessly.

Although Zevin’s prose is powerful, the middle is burdened by frequent time skips—many years pass in mere paragraphs, making it difficult to understand. Fortunately, it finishes on a powerful note in a scenario mirroring how it all began, with Sam and Sadie meeting each other once again. It is this circular motion that truly drives the novel—the idea that despite change, love will always persist tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow.