Greenpeace releases guide of companies affecting climate change

Mumbai, Apr 30 (UNI) Global environment NGO Greenpeace International today released a ranking guide 'The Greenpeace Guide to Climate Safe Lighting', listing manufacturers of incandescent bulbs (GLS) whom they hold responsible for high quantity of avoidable carbon dioxide emissions.

Addressing mediapersons here, Greenpeace Climate and Energy expert K Srinivas said Philips, which sells the highest number of GLS in the market, has outnumbered its competitiors by a huge margin and was ranked the number one climate criminal followed by Surya and Bajaj respectively.

''This ranking guide is a report card on how the lighting industry fares in its response to the biggest threat the planet is faced with today, the threat of climate change and honestly the results are dismal,'' he said.

He said the industry needs to wake up to the realities of Climate Change right away. ''Inaction is not an option and in fact it could set the economy on a downward spin, if the society fails to face up to the challenge right now,'' he said.

Mr Srinivas said that Philips which manufactures 120 lakh pieces of Compact Flourescent Lights (CFLs) the largest by any light company, ironically manufactures 1,623 lakh pieces of GLS again the largest player generating carbon emissions.

''It is illuminating that Philips, a company that projects itself as a responsible corporate citizen and boasts of having a strong environment policy is the leading climate criminal in our assessment,'' he said.

An incandescent light bulb uses only 10 per cent of the energy it consumes to produce light, the remaining 90 per cent is wasted in the form of heat. In comparison to an incandescent bulb, a CFL consumes around 20 per cent of electricity to produce the same amount of light. By just banning the bulb, India could save up to 12,000 mega watt of electricity, leading to a reduction of almost four per cent in its CO2 emissions, he argued.

Appealing to the leading players of the lighting industry, he said the biggest contributors to climate change are Philps, Surya and Bajaj, who must take responsibility and immediately announce a plan to pahse out the hazardous GLS lamps by 2010.

This will not only solve a significant part of the country's power problem but also considerably reduce India's CO2 emissions, Mr Srinivas said.

Later, Greenpeace activists took the message to the heart of corporate India by erecting a podium at the financial hub of the country, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and presented the Climate Criminal awards to the top three ''climate villians.'' UNI