BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE CLIMATE HEALTH NOW; SAN FRANCISCO BAY PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN SUPPORT OF DEFENDANT-APPELLEE CITY OF BERKELEY AND AFFIRMANCE

The brief asserts that gas appliances release harmful pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and carbon monoxide (CO), which lead to respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. It highlights that indoor pollution levels can be significantly higher than outdoor levels and that vulnerable populations, particularly children and communities of color, are disproportionately affected. Furthermore, it argues that gas appliances contribute to outdoor air pollution and climate change through the emission of criteria pollutants and methane, with methane leaks from stoves and water heaters potentially reaching 110 Gg per year. The document concludes that building electrification is a critical public health intervention that can provide substantial monetized health benefits, estimated at $3.5 billion annually for California.

• Gas appliances emit harmful pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and carbon monoxide (CO) into indoor environments, where pollutant levels can be "two to five and as much as 100 times higher than outdoor air pollution levels."
• Fossil gas appliances contribute to outdoor air pollution; in California, residential gas appliances emitted approximately 15,900 tons of NOx and between 9,000 to 12,000 tons of CO in 2018.
• Methane emissions from residential gas stoves and water heaters are significantly higher than previous EPA estimates, with recent studies suggesting emissions could be as high as 110 Gg of methane per year from these two sources alone.
• Communities of color and low-income populations face disproportionate pollution burdens; outdoor NO2 concentrations are 38 percent higher in communities of color in the United States compared to white communities.
• Building electrification is projected to yield substantial health and economic benefits, including an estimated $3.5 billion in annual monetized benefits for all outdoor air quality-related health effects in California.

APA

Earthjustice (2022). BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE CLIMATE HEALTH NOW; SAN FRANCISCO BAY PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN SUPPORT OF DEFENDANT-APPELLEE CITY OF BERKELEY AND AFFIRMANCE. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/36_brief_of_amici_curiae_chn_sfpsr.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE CLIMATE HEALTH NOW; SAN FRANCISCO BAY PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN SUPPORT OF DEFENDANT-APPELLEE CITY OF BERKELEY AND AFFIRMANCE. 2022. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/36_brief_of_amici_curiae_chn_sfpsr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE CLIMATE HEALTH NOW; SAN FRANCISCO BAY PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN SUPPORT OF DEFENDANT-APPELLEE CITY OF BERKELEY AND AFFIRMANCE |date=8 February 2022 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/36_brief_of_amici_curiae_chn_sfpsr.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2022brief, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE CLIMATE HEALTH NOW; SAN FRANCISCO BAY PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN SUPPORT OF DEFENDANT-APPELLEE CITY OF BERKELEY AND AFFIRMANCE}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/36_brief_of_amici_curiae_chn_sfpsr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }