Canada to Ban Inefficient Lightbulbs

I was going to post about other environmental issues (and I still might make one more post), but this story popped up today in the news.

Basically the federal government has announced that it plans to ban the sale of inefficient light bulbs by 2012. Check out the articles from CBC and the Globe and Mail.

For more information on the more efficient bulbs, read here.

I find it interesting that there is criticism of this initiative. Not only do these bulbs help the environment, but they save money for citizens. Everyone wins. The criticism seems to revolve around the fact that the government is not doing enough. Though I do not have all the facts at this moment, I would tend to believe that. However, I think those groups that are complaining ought to at least applaud the government for the steps they are taking.

One of the articles claims that lighbulbs account for only 1.5% of our carbon emissions, and that this won't make a huge impact. But surely it will make an impact. There is not one single fix to this problem, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.

Though not criticism of this initiative I have some thoughts about these new light bulbs that may not be shared with many. Maybe there have been studies done to answer my questions, but I wonder how much of that wasted energy in inefficient bulbs reduces the strain of heating in the winter. Will this effect cancel out with the savings in cooling in the summer? These are just things to think about.

All in all I find this move rather interesting. Though a small step, it appears our country is moving at least in the right direction