Following a report on globalcool.org earlier this month that
California is looking to ban the sale of incandescent light bulbs, Australia is set to take the matter a step further by banning the power hungry bulbs across the entire nation.
In an attempt to cut down CO2 emissions, the Australian government plans to phase out the sale of the old style bulbs by the end of 2009, with only low energy compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) available in the shops.
Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull said of the proposed changeover: “By that stage you simply won’t be able to buy incandescent light bulbs, because they won’t meet the energy standard.”
According to Mr Turnbull, the bulb ban will help cut 800,000 tons of CO2 from Australia’s current emissions level by 2012. The move would also lower household lighting costs by 66%.
To date the Australian government, or most notably its prime minister John Howard, has been criticised for refusing along with the US to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol.
However, with Australia being the world’s biggest greenhouse gas producer per capita, it is thought that climate change will be an issue of fierce debate during the general elections due later this year.
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