British Journalists Take On Skeptics, Liars and Incandescent Bulbs
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 01.13.09
It gets tiresome, responding to those who say this cold winter proves global warming a hoax, or that compact fluorescents only belong in Stalinist work camps. That doesn't stop some of the better British writers from trying, even though they are talking to a wall. James Randerson does a great job of demolishing the anti-CFL cranks who clearly have not seen one since 1999:
So what about the supposed evils of CFLs? Well, say the stick-in-the-muds, they give off a cold blue light (which apparently makes them think of murder and ethnic cleansing), not the lovely warm glow of traditional bulbs, with their snuggle-up-by-the-fire associations. This is the worst in straw-mannery. OK, the old CFLs were not so great, but good quality new models do not give a suicide-blue glow and the light they give out can be made "warmer" with yellow filters. This argument is like saying you don't like mobile phones because you can't fit brick-shaped objects in your pocket.Likewise, the old chestnut that they are too dim when you turn them on and take weeks to warm up or that they flicker visibly. Perhaps true for a late-90s eco-bulb, but not today's technology. CFLs typically warm up in 5 to 10 seconds now and they flicker at between 30,000 and 50,000 times per second. Far faster than the human eye can perceive.
Lastly there is pollution. CFLs contain around 5mg of mercury - a toxic heavy metal. This means they should be recycled so that the mercury does not contaminate ground water. But it does not mean they are the cause of a mercury pollution problem. They are in fact part of the solution. Because of the extra coal - a major source of mercury pollution - that is burned in order to light an incandescent bulb, this form of lighting leads to roughly 3 times more mercury being released into the atmosphere compared with a CFL bulb.
More in the Guardian: Good riddance to incandescent lightbulbs
More on Incandescents vs Fluorescents in TreeHugger:
Six Uses For Old Dead Incandescent Bulbs
Only in America: The "Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act"
We Love Our Gorebulbs!
What About Mercury From Compact Fluorescents?
Popular Mechanics Compares CFLs
George Monbiot writes a lovely piece about the joys of skating, and how this winter is being misused and misinterpreted:
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I have spent the last two evenings skating. Last night we laid lanterns out across the ice and swooped and swung and fell flat on our faces on this silent lake in mid-Wales, for hours by moonlight. I should have been in bed - I have a chest infection and a cold - but I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.For the exhilaration of this primal game was shaded with sadness: all of us knew that this time might be our last. It is many winters since most of the lakes in England and Wales have frozen hard enough to support a skating party; with every year the chances of another one recede. The fuss this country has made about the current cold snap reminds us how rare such events have become.....
When heatwaves strike, climate scientists and environmentalists tend towards caution, explaining that though such events may be consistent with predictions they cannot be used as proof that climate change is taking place: only the long-running global trend is a reliable guide. If anyone is foolish enough to present a heatwave as clear evidence of manmade climate change, the deniers jump all over them. The same critics then use every snow flurry or frozen puddle as evidence of the collapse of global warming theory.
The thought that I might never skate outdoors again feels like a bereavement. I pray for another cold snap, even though I know it will bring all the nincompoops in Britain out of their holes, yapping about a new ice age
George Monbiot: Skating on Thin Ice
See also:
Five Reasons Why Environmentalists Aren't Blaming Global Warming For Recent Weather
What Makes Global Warming Skeptics Tick?
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Its not cold here in Los Angeles! Its been record breaking 90 degrees the last two days! 25 degrees ABOVE normal for this time of year here! All the weather men ever have to say is "its going to be a lovely warm day" yeah for summer! If it was 25 degrees above normal in summer it would be 130 and we would all be dead!
But these wretched CFL bulbs do flicker! They make me feel "unwell" and "ill at ease" and "sick" and they allow harmful Q-Rays to permeate my cellular structure! I tried a foil lined hat, but I still know exactly when I am in the general vicinity of these wretched abominations of science!
:P
Many people with autism, migraines, and similar chronic conditions do have reactions to CFL bulbs, even modern ones, that significantly decrease their ability to function. Just because the flicker is faster than the visual sense can register doesn't mean it has no effect on the central nervous system. Rather than dismiss all these folks as anti-environmentalist whiners, might it not be useful to think and talk about ways to make public buildings both more energy efficient and more accessible for everyone? LED bulbs and natural lighting have great potential for public buildings and medical offices. I love my CFLs at home, but if I were making a decision about what to put in a public office, I'd feel like I had a responsibility to use something that wouldn't cause further accessibility problems for people with disabilities.
Yeah, I know who people who rail on fluorescent bulbs but have no problem eating canned tuna, evel yellowfin.
A question, a relative of mine says that the U.S. government is phasing out incandescent bulbs and for that reason, she and her friend are hoarding them. Is this true? I´m all for the fl. bulbs, but our country is too keen on the idea that economic choice equals freedom. Not that phasing out incandescent bulbs is a great idea, but, I especially don´t see it being accepted in a country where fule economy has been stagnant for 25 years because of a distaste for regulation.
Yup the US are phasing out the old bulbs, guess there is no money in them anymore :O)
CFLs are seriously evil.
1. FLicker, this is annoying as hell.
2. REALITY CHECK!!!! Mercury and coal? Maybe in China, but Rest of world has other mixed sources for electrcity. Myth busted. What a bunch of journalistic losers.
3. Lifespan. The only long-lifespan tech is LED, which is in itself friendlier, due to lenght of service, but not necessarily on the recyclability end, since the plastic encasement and poisonous ingredients.
I get sick of this on both sides. On the pro side it's "hey this is weird, must be caused by global warming!" On the con side it's "it's cold, bring on global warming!" My favorite is "it's snowy, we need global warming." Around here most winter days are too cold to snow. I'm not sure how 6 degrees of warming will do anything but increase our snow. Now 12 degrees of warming would be nice; in the winter.
And the incandescent fears are just nuts. I wrote pretty much this same piece in college. Of course, it was preaching to the choir (which shocked me, because I had no idea before I wrote about CFL's; I would have agreed with all of these myths).
The author is pretty conservative with his 5-10 second warm up. My CFL's turn in instantly (about a half second). They might take 5 seconds to reach maximum brightness but they're at 80% within a second.
Also, comparing mercury emitted into the air to mercury which could be thrown in a landfill is a bit ridiculous. While I agree that CFL's reduce coal use enough to make up for their mercury I'd also prefer that mercury dumped in a landfill then spread evenly across the country.
I think the main concern is mercury emitted in ones own home. 5mg's really isn't huge. Open a window, wipe up the spill with a disposable towel, store the broken bulb in a ziplock bag, and leave the room for a while. You'll be fine and so will your carpet.
The truly annoying part of CFL's is their packaging. It hides broken bulbs. And who wants to go back to the store over a $3 bulb?
Just in case the flicker comments are not meant in jest: ordinary 60-cycle current causes incandescent bulbs to flicker at a much slower rate than do CFL's. This AC flicker can be perceived more easily when there is a power brown out - just before the bulbs dim away. If you were sensitive to flicker than incandescents would be worse.
What you may actually be reacting to is color temperature, which is expressed on a scaled of degrees. Cheap fluroescents have a very low color temp. Those are the annoying ones: good only for closets and garages and basement work areas.
Look at the rack in your hardware store and you are likely to find "daylight true" CFLs now being offered. These are the types used in expensive clothing and butcher shops to make colors look supranatural.
I had an epiphany similar to Mr. Monbot this morning, as I was peeling the dead skin from my frost-bitten ear. It's so obvious: Cold is warm, war is peace. Down with the denierificationalists!
Whether you like CFL's or not incandescent bulbs will soon be extinct.
Don't worry too much though as I am sure you will be able to buy them on ebay for twice the price of a CFL!
"Many people with autism, migraines, and similar chronic conditions do have reactions to CFL bulbs, even modern ones, that significantly decrease their ability to function..."
Kerr,
You had better back that statement up with links to case studies. If you don't, you're just a hyperbole addled retard. Step up, back your statement up, or shut the (you know what) up.
"REALITY CHECK!!!! Mercury and coal? Maybe in China, but Rest of world has other mixed sources for electrcity. Myth busted...."
reality,
Actualy 'reality', it's not just China that sadly over-abuses coal use, if you are in the U.S., (i am not, but i imagine a significant percentage of people accessing this site are) then you'll be sad to know that you too use coal a bit too much....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sources_of_electricity_in_the_USA_2006.png
Ever wondered where the tops of those West Virginia Mts go?
I'm with Willy. Many of those folks (the migraine ones) believe they have reactions to MSG but that was shown to be a placebo effect. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118565688/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Incandescents will still be available, after all, you can still buy camera film, magnetic tape, buggy whips, and IBM punch cards. Most people will stop using them, but there will still be speciality producers or just accumulations of new old stock.
Most people will stop using them because of the cost savings anyway, unless the Orwellians demand that we force everyone to light incandescently. Even with flourescents my utility bill was 1/4 the cost of my rent last month. Ow.
If CFLs make you sick I can't IMAGINE what Incandescents or LEDs will do to you!!!
As wikipedia says, [CITATION NEEDED].
As for color, google full spectrum CFLs and you can find some. The crappy color that old CFLs and Incandescents give is ridiculous looking.
Also, CFLs spew less mercury into the atmosphere than Incandescents, by a wide margin. Coal fired power plants to power your incandescent spew mercury into the atmosphere by the ton, if you're using a CFL, you're contributing about 1500-2000x less mercury.
Reality, you need to check the US. We've got lots of coal plants. They provide over 50% of power consumer in the US. Texas is building 3 more plants, and I'm sure other places are as well. Mixed source at 50% means nothing.
If you remove heating, it's at 60%. Hate to be the bearer of bad news.
This whole thing against incandecent light bulbs is asolutly rediculous and stupid i mean these COMPACT FLORECENTS are hazerdous if their broken and i cant afford them their too expensive and AL GORE IS A HOT AIR WIND BAG