Hängeleuchte
ReihenleuchteThe Senate overstates the capacity of electric lighting to reduce environmental pollution, including CO2-Emission. Additionally, Berlin's gas street lighting has its own set of environmental benefits which need to be considered.
New electric lighting will not reduce environmental pollution as much as promised.
- The gas lamps' CO2 emission is comparatively minor. In 2012 Berlin's gas street lighting generated approx. 40, 000 tons of CO2. This amount only constitutes 0, 17% of Berlin's overall CO2 emission. Therefore, gaslight is not a significant contributor to Berlin's carbon footprint. To put gaslight's CO2 emission further into perspective: The brown coal/lignite-fired power station Jänschwalde, which produces electricity for Berlin, generated 24,3 million tons of CO2 in 2011 (European Emissions Register). In other words, Jänschwalde produces the annual CO2 emission of Berlin's gaslights twice a day. In light of these numbers, we challenge the Senate's position that gaslight needs to be abolished due to its amount of CO2 emission.
- Electric lamps create more waste than gas lamps. Electric lighting fixtures have shorter life spans and need to be exchanged 2-3 times more often than gas lighting fixtures. Additionally, not only the flourescent tubes but also the entire lighting fixtures need to be disposed of as hazardous waste. Partially, this is due to the toxicity of the mercury used in florescent tubes. The flourescent tubes of models such as 'Jessica' (Sympatex) contain up to 5mg of mercury per lighting fixture. Thus, the approx. 39,000 new electric lamps will generate tons of additional hazardous waste per year. The disposal of this hazardous waste creates additional CO2-Emission, which the Senate currently does not account for in its calculations. Hazardous waste needs to be transported to special disposal sites by lorry. These disposal sites are spread far and wide across the country. In contrast to electric lamps, gas lamps largely consist of materials that can be easily separated, recycled and disposed of. Additionally, the ash of all of Berlin's incandescent gas mantles amounts to a comparatively minor 2-3kg per year. This ash and minimal amounts of electronics are the only waste from gas lamps which needs to be permanently disposed of. Moreover, in recent years, hazardous waste from gas lamps has been further reduced through the introduction of solar-powered ignition mechanisms. These have eliminated the use of batteries in 10,000 gas lamps.
- Electric lighting causes additional environmental pollutants. Currently, a large part of the electricity for Berlin's street lighting derives from the lignite-fired power plant Jänschwalde (see below). The lignite-based electricity production creates significant amounts of CO2 and other environmental pollutants, such as, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, mercury, lead, arsenic and atmospheric particle matter (European Emission Register 2011). While Jänschwalde is required to contain this emission as best as possible, the filters used have to be permanently disposed of as hazardous waste. Based on Jänschwalde's emission data, the European Environmental Agency (EUA) estimates that the power station causes damage to human health and the environment of up to 2 billion Euros.
- Pollution caused by electric light unlikely to change. Future investments in the technology of Jänschwalde to improve its environmental impact seem unlikely. The power station Jänschwalde is the most recent of all three remaining power plants in the Lausitz area. Despite this, Jänschwalde however uses the most out-dated technology available. New investments in the plant appear unlikely when all plans of modernisation, for example, a new unit for the removal and injection of CO2, were abandoned by Vattenfall in 2011. Additionally, the source of the electricity for Berlin's street lighting is unlikely to become more environmentally friendly. The Senate does not plan to switch from lignite-based electricity to 'green electricity' because Berlin would not be able to afford the costs.
- In contrast to electricity, gas is a primary energy source and is only consumed locally. In total, the carbon footprint of the extraction and transport of natural gas is much smaller than the carbon footprint of lignite-based electricity production and of the electricity's transportation.
- CO2 emission from gas street lamps in Berlin will further decrease. Of all fossil fuels, the burning of natural gas produces the smallest amount of CO2-emission (Source: Energy Information Administration 1999 (LINK zur Quelle, URL siehe Absatz-Ende)). GASAG, Berlin's gas supplier, presently feeds over 10% carbon-neutral biogas into Berlin's gas distribution system. GASAG plans to increase this percentage in the coming years. Moreover, even greater CO2 savings will be possible in future by using biogas. Currently, a Power-to-Gas method is being developed which will employ solar/wind power to create biogas with a methane content of up to 95%. This method almost entirely eliminates biogas' natural CO2 content (up to 45 %). At the moment, biogas still has to be separated from its CO2 content before it can be fed into the gas distribution system. (Source: Frauenhofer- IWES (LINK zur Quelle siehe dt. Seite)).
- 'Saving' often just means 'transfer'. Unfortunately, any proclaimed 'saving' of emission has to be examined critically. Due to so-called 'emission trading', CO2 emissions 'saved' in one area (for example, by abolishing Berlin's gas street lighting) may then be emitted somewhere else. No actual reduction of CO2 emission occurs. The emission is simply transferred to another place.
- The Senate's lighting policy is contradictory. The Senate's choice of operational company subverts the Senate's argument to abolish gaslight for environmental reasons. Although environmental organisations have repeatedly levelled strong criticism against Vattenfall Europe, Berlin's Senate chose this company to manage Berlin's street lighting (gas and electric) for the next seven years. The environmental organisation Greenpeace has ranked Vattenfall Europe among the most environmentally damaging companies worldwide.
The lignite-fired power plant Jänschwalde
Currently, a large part of the electricity for Berlin's street lighting derives from the brown coal/lignite-fired power station Jänschwalde (Lausitz). Not only does lignite-based electricity production create large amounts of CO2 emission, but the power station Jänschwalde also has exceedingly low efficiency and environmental ratings. According to the managing company Vattenfall Europe, Jänschwalde only reached a net efficiency of 35-36 % in 2011. For the same year, the European Emission Register reports 24.3 million tons of CO2 emission. This means, over two thirds (or approx. 15.7 million tons) of CO2-emission were generated only to produce electricity from coal. All the generated energy is eaten up by the production process. Actual electricity is only won from the fire-power of the remaining third of lignite, which generates the remaining third of 24.3 million tons of CO2. As early as 2007, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) declared Jänschwalde to be the 4th most climate damaging power station in Europe, the 7th worldwide.
Additional environmental benefits of gas street light include:
- lower levels of light pollution
Electric lighting causes approx. 50% of urban light pollution ('Dark Sky Syndrome').
Atmospheric dust particles reflect the light creating great light domes above cities ('skyglow'). In comparison to 150 years ago, Berlin's sky on a clear night is already ten times brighter than it used to be. On an overcast night, the sky can be up to 1000 times brighter (Spiegel Online 2010 (LINK zur Quelle, URL siehe Abschnitt-Ende)).
The white light quality of the electric lamps which the Senate plans to introduce, will increase the negative impact of present light pollution with incalculable effects on human health and wildlife. Particularily, the UV-light and blue light components are problematic. Human beings and other mammals are especially sensitive to blue light, which, among other things, decreases their natural ability to fall asleep (Lockley 2009 (LINK zur Quelle, siehe Abschnitt-Ende)). On the contrary, insects are automatically drawn to UV-light (see below).
www.britastro.org/dark-skies/handbook.html
In contrast to electric light, the light spectrum of gaslight does not contain UV light or blue light. Red light, predominant in gaslight has been shown to have the least effect on human-being circadian rythms (Cheung 2009 (LINK zur Quelle,siehe Abschnitt-Ende )).
today.uchc.edu/headlines/2007/nov07/graveyard
- conservation of wildlife, in particular of insects
Nocturnal insects are particularly drawn to the white-blue light of fluorescent tubes. This light is similar to the light of moon and stars, which insects use to navigate. One electric street lamp with a compact fluorescent source of light (e.g. 'Jessica' by Semperlux) kills approx. 150 insects per night. The electric lamps now replacing the 8,000 in-line lamps will exterminate 1.2 million insects every night.
Experts such as Professor Emeritus Gerhard Eisenbeis estimate that every night billions of insects fall prey to electric street light across Germany. The professor is a zoologist from Mainz, who conducted his main research in soil biology and forest entomology. He calls attention to the key role insects play in all terrestrial ecosystems, not least, as a vital part of the food chain. In urban environments, species such as bats and insect eating birds depend on the presence of a large insect population. Its decline causes the decline of all insect eating species (Source (LINK, URL siehe dt. Seite)). Over time, a massive demise of insects will create an ecological imbalance with consequences incalculable as yet.
In contrast to the electric fluorescent tubes, gaslight does not contain UV light. Therefore, gas street lamps do not attract and kill insects.
- conservation of Berlin's trees
The dismantling of Berlin's gaslights (e.g. in-line lights) greatly damages tree roots.
The removal of each gaslight requires two excavation pits. Thus, dismantling 8,000 in-line lights creates 16,000 excavation pits. Trees grow close to almost every site. The full extent to which the trees have been damaged will only become visible over the next months, even years.
Gaslight has additional value for human well-being and safety:
- high quality light
Gaslight shines glare-free and casts a clear-cut shadow. Moreover, gaslight depicts colours almost naturally (as they appear in daylight). Thus, gaslight fulfils safety standards (für was?). The performance of the new electric lamps is much poorer. (Comparison: four mantle in-line lamp approx. 5 Lux, nine mantle in-line lamp approx. 12 Lux, electric lamp 'Jessica' up to 2.0 Lux. Source: Baukammer Berlin).
- aesthetically pleasing
Most people experience gas street light as more pleasant than electric street light. This is due to the difference in light colour. While gaslight is yellow-golden, electric fluorescent light shines blue-white. Thus, gaslight contributes to one's quality of life. Estate agents, house owners and property developers are all well aware of this. They always advertise the local existence of gas street lighting as a special feature.