Does banning the traditional light bulb make environmental sense?
August 2009 The much-maligned light bulb is being phased out in favour of compact fluorescents. But will the ban make environmental sense? Richard Forster weighs up the evidence. In a recent debate in the House of Lords, Lord Harrison asked: “How many politicians did it take to change a light bulb policy?” This question was raised in Delta T in June 2007. Lord Hunt responded: “It takes one member of your Lordships’ House to change a light bulb and 712 to debate the matter for endless hours.” The economic and environmental cases in favour of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) against domestic light bulbs have been made for many years and yet have failed to convince the buying public. The recent increases in electricity prices have strengthened the financial argument, but to little effect on consumer buying habits. A political solution was to remove the choice and force domestic light bulbs off the shelves. This was not by legal abolition, but an informal agreement last year by the major U
