GREENPEACE URGES INDIA TO BAN THE BULB
04.18.07 - Leído 89 veces. Enviar esta notaIndia must ban incandescent light bulbs in favour of more energy efficient light sources, environmental group Greenpeace said, adding the ban would cut the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions by four percent
NEW DELHI, India; April 18, 2007.- Currently contributing to around three percent of total global emissions, India is already amongst the world’s top five polluters, along with the United States, China, Russia and Japan.
Experts say the populous Asian nation’s carbon emissions, like those of China, are set to rise steeply due to its rapid economic development.
“With India’s growing population and ambitious economic plans, carbon emissions will rise to three times more than current levels by 2050,” K. Srinivas, Greenpeace’s climate change campaigner, told a news conference.
“It is therefore essential that India looks at becoming more energy efficient. And one way of doing this is through replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lights or CFLs which use much less energy and will cut emissions by four percent.”
Experts say unchecked greenhouse gas emissions could see temperatures rising between 1.8 and 4.0 degrees Celsius (3.2 and 7.8 Fahrenheit) in the 21st century.
The Indian subcontinent is expected to be one of the most seriously affected regions in the world by global warming, which will mean more frequent and more severe natural disasters such as floods and droughts, more disease and more hunger.
Srinivas said CFLs — although eight times more expensive than the yellow incandescent bulbs that have been in use virtually unchanged for 125 years — use 80 percent less energy and would save households and industries money.
Approximately 20 percent of electricity generated in India is consumed by lighting, he said, adding that switching to CFLs would also help address the country’s growing power needs.
In February, Australia announced it would be the first country to ban the light bulbs, saying they would be phased out within three years.
However, there are concerns about the mercury content in CFLs by environmentalists, who say disposing of them could present serious health risks due to the toxicity of the heavy metal.
Global demand for CFLs remains relatively low, accounting for only 10 percent of the world’s market share in light sources.
India uses 640 million incandescent light bulbs every year compared to 12 million CFLs, Greenpeace said.
(Reuters)
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