I read this morning in the Evansville Courier & Press that Australia is phasing out incandescent light bulbs, in favor of more energy-efficient fluorescent ones. Proposed legislation to restrict the incandescent bulbs could lower "Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 4 million tons by 2012 and cut household power bills by up to 66%." The article further notes that Australia produced close to 565 million tons (!) of greenhouse gases in 2004.

This relatively small measure is a great example of how all citizens in a nation can play an instrumental role in lessening the effects of global warming. When people realize that baby steps can lead to huge gains in this realm, they may have incentive to try even harder to make a difference. Most of us still have incandescent bulbs in our homes. Perhaps this move in Australia could be the motivation that we need in this nation, even though our country has not yet taken the step of phasing out the incandescent bulbs on a mandatory basis.