Where Are All the Climate Warning Labels on Gas Pumps?
“The science is very clear: burning gasoline hurts people’s health and the environment,” said Patricia Nolan, a city council member in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
A gas station in Boston, Massachusetts.
Photographer: Vanessa Leroy/BloombergDrive up to any gas pump in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and you’ll see a yellow label slightly bigger than a greeting card. In red lettering, it tells drivers, “WARNING: Burning Gasoline, Diesel and Ethanol has major consequences on human health and on the environment including contributing to climate change.”
The labels are the first of their kind in the United States, and have been in place since early 2021, with one upgrade this spring to incorporate larger lettering and an updated ordinance number. The Cambridge City Council first mandated gas warnings at self-serve pumps, and later expanded the mandate to full-service gas stations. The progressive city is home to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“The fight to reverse climate change requires that everyone take action to change their behavior,” the council noted in its policy order for the labels, “and the City must underscore the fact that each individual’s behavior can make an impact on the environment and on public health.”
Transportation is the sector with the biggest greenhouse gas footprint in the US, and driving cars and trucks makes up a lion’s share of those emissions, according to Environmental Protection Agency data from 2020. That means weaning drivers off of gas-powered cars will be critical for the clean-energy transition needed to fight climate change. And while the increasing availability and affordability of electric alternatives will help, so too might reminding drivers of the climate stakes at the pumps.