How Many Light Bulbs dies it Take to Change the Climate?
Points for Governments to Consider:
- The initial cost of replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs will be offset by longer-term savings
- Standard incandescent light bulbs can be phased out within a couple of years to avoid negative impact - the Australian government is using 3 years in a bid to reduce energy consumption; after which time they will no longer be for sale.
- Compact fluorescent or low-wattage bulbs cost about $5 Aussie dollars more, but are more energy-efficient and save an average of $30 Aussie Dollars per year; they will be initially costlier but over time they will become less expensive as is typical through high public demand and will last four to 10 times longer.
- The standard incandescent light bulb, developed for the mass market more than 125 years ago, consists of a metal filament glowing white-hot in a vacuum which wastes up to 95 per cent of the energy it uses - so most of us just waste money not making that change.
- Compact fluorescent lights use about a fifth of the electricity to produce the same illumination. Each bulb also lasts between four and 10 times longer.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard has stated that “We need to take practical measures in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” It is felt the change to fluorescent lighting could cut greenhouse gas emissions by the order of 800,000 tonnes a year by 2012.
We hope that this simple idea - the ‘light bulb’ 
; can have a huge impact on climate change and if any government can do so, this pending ban should be sweeping as many countries as possible.