The world is tossing out its old-style light bulbs in an effort to cut back on the negative affects of global warming.

This week the Government of Australia was the latest country to announce plans to phase out incandescent light bulbs and replace them with more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.

Legislation to gradually restrict the sale of the old bulbs could reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 4m tons by 2012 and cut household power bills by up to 66 percent, said the country's Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Fidel Castro in Cuba and President Hugo Chavez in Venezuela have both created social programmes in their countries to put fluorescent bulbs in people's homes and get rid of the old lighting.

And the United States may soon fall in line, albeit more slowly.

Last month, a California assemblyman announced he would propose a bill to ban the use of incandescent bulbs in his state. And a New Jersey lawmaker has called for the state to switch to energy efficient fluorescent lighting in government buildings within three years.

Leaders in Bermuda have not publicly indicated there are any such plans in the works here.

Under the Australian mandate, bulbs that do not comply with energy efficiency targets are gradually banned from sale. Exemptions may apply for special needs such as medical lighting and oven lights.

Fluorescent bulbs are currently more expensive than incandescent bulbs, but use only about 20 percent of the power to produce the same amount of light. And they last longer, making them more competitive over time, advocates argue.