MasterChef, drop your dodgy gas sponsorship!

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The polluting gas industry is using MasterChef to serve up dodgy myths about biomethane and hydrogen.

Tell MasterChef that you want them to lead by example and drop their greenwashing partnership with their fossil fuel sponsor, Australian Gas Networks.

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Dear MasterChef,

Please end your partnership with Australian Gas Networks (AGN) and follow the example of MasterChef in the UK, Italy, Denmark and Spain by adopting induction cooktops – a healthier and safer alternative to polluting and unhealthy methane gas cooktops.
Australian Gas Networks (AGN) have paid a lot of money to make sure your audience doesn’t see how great induction cooking is so they can stall progress and protect their huge profits.

What’s worse is that AGN is using the MasterChef kitchen to cook up the false impression that hydrogen and biomethane are credible replacements for polluting methane gas. The companies that own the gas networks have been peddling these myths in an attempt to protect their massive profits – but they can’t do the job and, like methane gas, they are both harmful to human health.

The harms of biomethane and hydrogen in the gas network

Just like conventional methane gas, burning biomethane in your home would release harmful pollutants like nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) that can exacerbate respiratory illnesses and contribute to childhood asthma. In fact, a child living in a home with gas cooktops is 42% more likely to develop asthma, comparable to a child living with household cigarette smoke. [1]

When burnt, hydrogen produces even more harmful nitrogen oxides, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2) [2] that damage the lungs and increase the risk and severity of respiratory infections and asthma.

Hydrogen is also more prone to escaping via leaks. A UK lab tested the use of hydrogen blended gas in best-selling cooktops and water heaters and all suffered major leaks when hydrogen was added to the mix.

Why they won’t work

Both biomethane and hydrogen would be far too expensive to use in the gas network, but they also suffer numerous other physical limitations. Biomethane production could never keep up with our existing needs, and it’s estimated it could only ever replace a very small fraction (less than 10%) of methane gas use. When it comes to hydrogen, this would require a complete (and very expensive) overhaul of the gas network and every existing gas appliance would need to be replaced at the same time. It simply makes no sense given electrification is already a more cost-efficient alternative.

The solution to cutting pollution, protecting our health and lowering bills is already available – clean, efficient electric appliances. Please drop the AGN sponsorship and stop helping them to serve up their cocktail of deception. The presentation might look nice, but the facts leave a bitter taste! I also ask that you follow the lead of MasterChef in other countries by using induction cooktops, and let Australian audiences see for themselves why so many leading chefs are switching to induction cooking.

Footnotes

[1] https://asthma.org.au/about-us/advocacy/air-quality/

[2] https://www.cleanegroup.org/hydrogen-hype-in-the-air/

MasterChef is one of Australia’s most popular TV programs. But this season the gas industry is using the show to greenwash their pollution!

In the UK, Italy, Denmark, Singapore and Spain MasterChef has taken the opportunity to show audiences how good cooking with efficient modern electric induction really is.

But in Australia a powerful industry fossil fuel group, Australian Gas Networks, are sponsoring MasterChef and trying to convince you that there is a future where ‘clean’ alternatives like hydrogen or biomethane could be used in our homes – branding it as ‘renewable gas’.

Unfortunately it’s a complete fantasy. We’ll never make enough biomethane to be more than a tiny fraction of our current gas use and hydrogen, as well as being far too expensive for household use, would require a complete overhaul of the gas network and replacement of every gas appliance in our homes.

But that’s just the start! We’ve outlined all the reasons why the ‘renewable gas’ advertising is so misleading here >>

Add your name and call on MasterChef Australia to drop their dodgy partnership with Australian Gas Networks!

Using masterChef to advertise ‘renewable gas’ is nothing but a cynical industry tactic to preserve their massive profits. The real solution to cutting pollution, protecting our health and lowering bills is already available – clean, efficient electric appliances.