Africa region galvanizes efforts to end mercury lighting

(CLASP, 9 May 2023) The Africa delegation – representing 39 countries - to the Minamata Convention on Mercury introduced an amendment to phase out all remaining fluorescent lamps.

The Zero Mercury Working Group and the Clean Lighting Coalition commend the Africa Region for proposing an amendment to phase out all the remaining fluorescent lamps at the Fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 5) of the Minamata Convention on Mercury in Geneva.

This amendment complements the unanimous decision at Minamata COP4 to phase out compact fluorescent lamps (CLFs) by 2025. If adopted in November, the COP5 Amendment will effectively end the manufacture and trade of all fluorescent bulbs globally by 2026.

Phasing out the proposed categories of fluorescent lamps in the timeline proposed in the amendment will cumulatively:

• avoid 3.00 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide;
• save US $1.26 trillion in electricity costs, and;
• prevent 176 metric tonnes of mercury pollution – including both mercury used in lamps, and the mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants that would be avoided through lower electricity use for lighting.

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CLASP, 9 May 2023: Africa region galvanizes efforts to end mercury lighting