Greenpeace calls for ban on incandescent light bulb

New Delhi, Apr 16 (UNI) Greenpeace today launched a national campaign calling for a phase out of inefficient light bulbs in India by 2010.

Four Greenpeace activists suspended themselves from the top of the 269 m high Vikas Minar building in Central Delhi this morning and unfurled a 85x45 feet large banner with the message 'Stop Climate Change, Ban the Bulb'.

It marked the beginning of a campaign to push for a national legislation to phase out incandescent light bulbs. Such a legislation would be the first step towards implementing wide scale energy efficiency measures which would tackle India's energy crisis and help take a definite step towards fighting climate change.

''Changing a bulb is a small step for each of us, but if all of us decide to do so together, we can reduce India's carbon dioxide emissions and contribution to climate change by four per cent, which is as much as the entire CO2 emission of a country like Denmark,'' said Greenpeace India Climate and Energy Expert K Srinivas.

''By mitigating its energy crisis through energy efficiency measures, the government can take the lead to combat climate change instead of adding to global warming by building more coal power plants.'' Reduction in prices and several regional attempts to promote Compact Fluorescent Lights had increased the production of CFLs from 6.4 million in 2000/2001 to 44 million in 2005/2006. However, during the same time, the production of incandescent light bulbs had increased from 638 million to 757 million, adding to wastage of energy in India.

''While changing to compact fluorescent lights makes perfect economic sense, the market is moving very reluctantly. We have only ten more years left to stop the increase of average temperature on this planet; there is no time to experiment with mediocre measures to improve energy efficiency in the country. To prevent energy squandering and to check climate change in time, we need to act swiftly! Prohibiting the marketing of inefficient light bulbs is the quickest and the easiest way forward,'' Mr Srinivas added.

''We need decisive governments at the state and central level, manufacturers who take responsibility for their products and Indians who support this crucial nationwide move towards energy efficiency.

This is why Greenpeace uses unconventional methods to win support for its initiatives.'' To be able to phase out conventional light bulbs by 2010, supportive measures need to be put in place by 2008. Greenpeace has called for mandatory leasing schemes of utilities in order to make CFLs affordable for the poor, investment support for manufacturers to change their production lines from incandescent bulbs to CFLs, minimum standards and warrant for CFLs as well as a star rating system for all forms of lighting, informing customers about the energy usage of various forms of lighting, starting from the next year.

Greenpeace demanded that light bulbs with efficiency less then 25 lumen/watt namely incandescent bulbs should be phased out by 2010.

Another step for more efficient lighting should follow in 2012 and 2015 so as to raise the minimum efficiency level of lighting to 35 and 55 lumen/watt respectively, it added.

UNI