Following the trend set by Australia and California, a new report in the European Union has put foward a plan to gradually phase out traditional incandescent bulbs by 2012. Instead, the EU's member nations would turn to more cost- and energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) and LEDs.

Some pretty staggering numbers argue for the plan: 65 dollars a household per year in energy savings, 13 million tons in carbon savings, and 13 billion dollars free cash entering the economy. In addition, until the EU phases out widescale coal power production, switching to CFLs will also result in a net reduction in mercury pollution.

This legislation strikes me as a clear winner. Most home-building firms have already made the transition to the cleaner, less-costly bulbs. The way I see it, there aren't any compelling reasons not to make the switch.

Many consumers gripe about CFL bulbs' allegedly poorer-quality light, but once warmed, there's not much in the way of observable differences between a CFL and a standard incandescent. Maybe a special tax on incandescent bulbs could satisfy the demands of the purists, while generating additional funding for sustainability projects.

Photo by Flickr user Cipherwa