100W incandescent bulbs "banned in EU"

More interference and micro-regulation in everyone's lives from the EU in the name of "tackling climate change". Europeans will no longer be able to buy 100W incandescent bulbs from next week:

From September 1, 100-watt versions of the old incandescent bulbs will be banned from Europe's shops and other bulbs with lower wattage will follow in the ensuing years, under a system agreed by EU experts last December.

New technology light bulbs, such as compact florescent lights (CFL) can save up to 80 per cent of the energy used by the worst old-style lights in homes.

The move will also cut carbon dioxide emissions as part of the European Union's wider climate change package.

Admittedly, CFLs are more efficient and last longer, but on the downside, they produce a horrible light, are hideously expensive, take ages to warm up to full brightness, look ugly in light fittings, and are actually more damaging for the environment than traditional incandescents:

However the [European consumer group BEUC] added, in a statement, that removing the old-style light bulbs from the market also holds drawbacks for some consumers.

There are concerns "about the risks to health from the high mercury content of the new bulbs," the group warned.

The EU plan also "falls short of the needs of some consumers who need to use the old-style light bulbs for health-related reasons such as light sensitivity," BEUC added.

But none of that matters when we're talking about "saving the planet".

Read it here.