22 November 2015, Lighting accounts for more than 15% of the world’s electricity consumption – more than the electricity generated by all the nuclear power stations in the world – and around 5% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. What’s more, there are 1.4 billion people around the world who lack access to modern energy services, including reliable lighting, and are instead using energy sources such as kerosene that pose serious environmental and health risks.
In response to this issue, the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) is launching the Global Lighting Challenge (GLC). This is a race to reach cumulative global sales of 10 billion high-efficiency, high-quality, and affordable lighting products (such as Light Emitting Diodes – LEDs) as quickly as possible. The GLC brings together and elevates efforts to promote efficient lighting policies including the CEM’s Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) initiative and Global Lighting Energy and Access Energy Partnership (Global LEAP), United Nations Environment Programme and Global Environment Facility’s en.lighten initiative, International Finance Corporation’s Lighting Global, and International Energy Agency’s Energy Efficient End-Use Equipment Solid State Lighting Annex.
Click here to learn more about the Global Lighting Challenge.