The invention of the light bulb is one we take for granted in the first world. The asset of lighting helps us be productive members of society from learning and reading as a child to working after dark as an adult. 1.1 billion people live without an efficient lighting solution. LED lighting in developing countries can solve one of the biggest problems in the world today: light poverty.
The Potential Benefits of LED Lighting in Developing Countries
The benefits of lighting surpass everyday productivity. Electrical lighting keeps us safe by allowing us visibility in the darkness. The Telegraph recently reported one in seven people live in light poverty (don’t have access to electric light).
People living in light poverty have inferior living conditions and fewer opportunities due to their lack of access to adequate lighting. They resort to inefficient lighting sources, such as candles and kerosene lamps, which put their health in danger. It’s reported that these antiquated light sources are responsible for fires and respiratory illnesses resulting 1.5 million deaths every year.
LED benefits society in multiple ways and it’s the future of lighting solutions. LED lighting provides optimal lighting and it’s the closest lighting solution to natural light. The lesser-known benefits of LED include improved mood, higher productivity, and pleased senses.
Consequences of light poverty
Human-being living in light poverty spend between 100-1,000 times more money per unit of light in comparison to the first world. This is a result of the fuel-based lighting solutions they seek out to light their everyday lives. The inefficient lighting solutions they turn to include:
- Burning discarded tire rubber
- Candles
- Diesel
- Flashlights with disposable batteries
- Kerosene
Their inadequate lighting solutions play a role in trapping people in poverty. Fuel-based lighting negatively affects health, livelihood, and energy subsidies. People living in light poverty experience health problems at an alarming rate. Poor lighting in developing nations is responsible for acute respiratory infection, influenza and pneumonia-related deaths in two million children annually.
Not only is light poverty a health hazard to our fellow man, but it also costs the world unnecessary amounts of many and permanently harms the environment. Fuel-based lighting degrades the planet and emits dangerous amounts of carbon dioxide into the environment. These emissions are equivalent to having 30 million cars on the road.
Light poverty solutions
Generating power using solar panels and hydroelectricity combined with LED power could be the solution to light poverty. LED technology provides optimal lighting using minimal wattage. LED light bulbs provide a return the investment faster than energy efficient appliances.
Governments in developing countries should invest and subsidize LED and other renewable energy sources to transition their people to more efficient lighting solutions. There’s no reason 1.1 billion people should be living without efficient lighting. Solving light poverty is an investment for the future of the planet and the human race.
Choose LED Lighting for Any Sporting Event
LED lighting in developing countries is the next step in the LED revolution. LED light bulbs are set to phase out incandescent bulbs in the US and Europe by 2020. Browse our LED light products gallery to join the revolution.
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