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Australia may shed old lights

Candace Lombardi
In a software-driven world, it's easy to forget about the nuts and bolts. Whether it's cars, robots, personal gadgetry or industrial machines, Candace Lombardi examines the moving parts that keep our world rotating. A journalist who divides her time between the United States and the United Kingdom, Lombardi has written about technology for the sites of The New York Times, CNET, USA Today, MSN, ZDNet, Silicon.com, and GameSpot. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not a current employee of CNET.
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Candace Lombardi

How many Aussies will it take to change a lightbulb?

Australia Prime Minister John Howard proposed Tuesday that his country phase out traditional incandescent lightbulbs by 2010 and exchange them for more energy-efficient ones, according to reports.

Howard said that Australia's switch to energy-saving bulbs, like the new fuel-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, could save the country as much as 4 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in one year, according to Physorg.

If the measure is passed, Australia would be the first country to make the sale of traditional incandescent lightbulbs illegal.

California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) made a similar proposal in January that would make the sale of incandescent lightbulbs in the state illegal after 2012.