Australia’s getting on the energy-efficient light bulb bandwagon, and in a big way. It recently announced it will phase out the use of inefficient, traditional light bulbs (incandescents) and replace them with the highly efficient, often swirly looking bulbs called compact fluorescents light bulbs (CFLs).

By making the switch, Australia could cut global warming pollution by 4 million tons in the next 5 years and cut household electric bills by up to 66 percent with the new legislation. Bulbs that do not meet energy efficiency requirements would be gradually banned from sale. Exemptions would be made for special circumstances like medical lighting.

CFLs use about 20 percent of the power as traditional bulbs to make the same amount of light. With traditional bulbs, most of the energy is lost in the form of heat.

Clean energy supporters applauded the energy efficiency plan as a good first step to cutting global warming pollution, but pointed out that the vast majority of Australia’s emissions comes from industrial sources like coal-fired power plants. To make real cuts in pollution, they argue that Australia must follow up the light bulb legislation with more cuts to global warming pollution from power plants and encourage renewable energy.

Australia’s Prime Minister John Howard is a bit of a newbie when it comes to energy policy: he only recently agreed that humans are causing global warming. But the light bulb legislation is still more than the U.S. government has done, and they’ve acknowledged for years that humans are contributing to global warming.

To get CFLs for your own home, check out your local hardware store or your utility may even sell them. I’ve personally found a good selection of styles at Home Depot. For more info on CFLs, check out Green Options’ Tip o’ the Day and the Green Life Guide.

International Business Times
Groovy Green

UPDATE: There appears to be some discrepency inside the Bush Administration as to whether humans are causing global warming. Although reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency link human activity to higher temperatures, Dick Cheney said in a recent interview that it’s still unclear whether humans or “natural cycles” are to blame. Check out the full ABC news story here.