India should prohibit the use of incandescent light bulbs and switch to more energy-efficient lighting options, according to environmental group Greenpeace. This move could reduce the nation's greenhouse gas emissions by four percent. Currently, India is one of the top five polluters in the world, alongside the United States, China, Russia, and Japan, and its carbon emissions are expected to increase significantly due to rapid economic growth. Greenpeace's climate change campaigner, K. Srinivas, emphasized the importance of India becoming more energy efficient in light of its growing population and ambitious economic goals. One method to achieve this is by swapping incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), which consume less energy and can reduce emissions by four percent. Scientists warn that if greenhouse gas emissions are not controlled, global temperatures could increase by 1.8 to 4.0 degrees Celsius (3.2 to 7.8 Fahrenheit) in the 21st century. The Indian subcontinent is predicted to be heavily impacted by global warming, leading to more frequent and severe natural disasters like floods and droughts, increased disease, and higher rates of hunger. Even though CFLs are more expensive than traditional incandescent bulbs, they use 80 percent less energy and can save households and industries money. Lighting accounts for about 20 percent of electricity consumption in India, and switching to CFLs could help address the country's growing energy demands. Australia made headlines in February by declaring it would become the first country to outlaw light bulbs, with plans to gradually eliminate them over a three-year period. Environmentalists have raised alarms about the potential health hazards posed by the mercury found in CFLs, warning that improper disposal could lead to serious consequences due to the heavy metal's toxic nature. Despite these concerns, the worldwide demand for CFLs is still relatively modest, representing just 10 percent of the global market for lighting. For instance, in India, the use of incandescent light bulbs far surpasses that of CFLs, with 640 million incandescent bulbs in use compared to just 12 million CFLs, according to Greenpeace.