Africa Region requesting the global lighting industry to support an amendment to mercury-lamp phase-out plans.
In 2021, Roger Baro wrote to LEDs Magazine highlighting the significance of phasing out fluorescent lights that contain mercury through the Minamata Convention on Mercury C0P4 on behalf of the African region. The governments are working to phase out the fluorescent lights by 2025. The main purpose is to protect public health, and the environment and replace them with LED energy-saving lighting.
The African Amendment Proposal
On April 28, 2023, 40 African countries took the lead and proposed a new amendment to the Minamata Convention to be discussed at the fifth Conference of Parties (COP5) in Geneva.
The amendment’s aim is to end exemptions for all the lighting that contains mercury. Many countries around the world have been transitioning to more energy-efficient lighting technologies. LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs, and phasing out older, less efficient lighting options like incandescent bulbs and CFLs. This transition is typically driven by environmental concerns, energy efficiency goals, and the desire to reduce electricity consumption. LED energy-saving lighting is the solution to eliminating the toxins produced by fluorescent lights.
What countries have banned incandescent bulbs?
Governments across the global north are banning fluorescents and bringing in LED energy-saving lighting. African governments are regulating them. Fluorescent lights are inefficient and toxic. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change describes how Africa faces the worst climate crisis. They include flooding, food scarcity, and droughts across the continent. As per the IEA Net Zero Roadmap, we intend to shift Africa to a clean-lighting continent by 2025 using LED energy-saving lighting.
Benefits of banning Fluorescent lights
The transition is underway to phasing out fluorescent lights and phasing in LED energy-saving lighting. According to experts, banning fluorescent lights will reduce the amount of poisonous emissions by 261.5 million metric tons of CO2 emissions and 26.2 metric tons of mercury.
The aim for the transition from Fluorescent to LED energy-saving lighting
The lighting, national, and regional industry associations are responsible to citizens to manage the global transition to LED energy-saving lighting. They should make sure that fluorescent technologies are removed from the commercial market. The aim is to advocate a clean lighting transition is important in terms of safety, health, and life in the world.
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