The Australian government plans to phase out Australia's 87 million standard light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs by 2009 or 2010. The Howard govt. wants consumers to pay $5 for an efficient compact fluorescent bulb rather than 50 cents for the wasteful incandescent variety that have lit up households for 125 years.
Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the expensive bulbs will pay for themselves within a year by reducing household electricity bills by up to 66 per cent and eventually cutting Australia's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by four million tonnes a year.
The move has received support from environmental groups and opposition parties. Australia ranks among the highest 1, 2 per head emission of GHG and is also the first country to initiate such "reforms".
Mr. Howard said, "We need to take practical measures in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
But it is difficult to see why he refuses to sign the Kyoto Protocol setting Greenhouse Gas reduction targets, instead requiring energy-hungry developing countries like India and China to help combat climate change!
United States, the largest emitter of GHG in the world has been the biggest culprit so far by obdurately refusing 1, 2 to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. But there are signs of some change 1, 2 in the outlook of the Bush Administration, already under immense pressure from nations and environmental groups.
With the world temperatures rising and its effects becoming all too visible 1 , 2 the efforts to reduce GHG emission are on a high now. Richard Branson, owner of Virgin brand, recently offered a prize of $ 25 million to anyone who can reduce billion of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.
Hope sanity and good sense prevails, so that our beautiful earth - remains as ever beautiful!
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