Environmental group Greenpeace asked India to follow Australia and ban the common light bulb to cut greenhouse gas emissions, fight climate change and conserve energy. India should switch from the incandescent light bulb to compact fluorescent lamps Greenpeace India said.
The move would help India save 12,000 megawatts of electricity, which accounts for almost 4% of its carbon dioxide emissions, it said.
"The government should take a responsible step towards fighting climate change by cutting the use of hazardous and inefficient technologies," said Greenpeace India energy expert Soumyabrata Rahut. "Banning the light bulb is an easily implementable initiative which will address this problem along with the issue of chronic electricity shortage," he added. "It will positively impact India's economic development."
Australia has announced plans to ban incandescent light bulbs, a move that will cut its greenhouse gas emissions by four million tons by 2012, according to Greenpeace. Incandescent bulbs lose 90% of the energy that goes into them as heat while a compact fluorescent lamp uses about 20% of the electricity to produce the same amount of light.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2007
