Press release - April 16, 2007
NEW DELHI, India — 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 feet high Vikas Minar building at the Center of New Delhi this morning and unfurled a 40 by 40 feet large banner with the message “Stop Climate Change, Ban the Bulb” and the campaign logo. This marked the beginning of an intense campaign to push for a national legislation to phase out incandescent light bulbs. Such a legislation will be the first step towards implementing wide scale energy efficiency measures which will tackle India’s energy crisis and help take a definite step towards fighting climate change. A model law to gradually increase energy efficiency of lighting in India will be produced at the press conference in the afternoon.
Greenpeace activists hang down from the 269 meters high DDA
Building in New Delhi to protest against climate change and to ask for a Ban on the Bulb, marking the launch of the campaign. The light bulb is energy inefficient and a climate killer.
"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 4%, which is as
much as the entire CO2 emission of a country like Denmark" said K.
Srinivas, Climate and Energy Expert, Greenpeace India. "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 (CFLs) have 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 has 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
10 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", 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 nation wide move towards energy efficiency. This is
why Greenpeace even 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
calls 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 demands 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.
For further information, contact
K Srinivas – Climate and Energy Expert, Greenpeace
+91-9845112130; 
Ruchira Talukdar – Greenpeace India Communications
+91-9900264127; 