Journal one

Summary

The article is about Australia replacing the old bulbs, the incandescent light bulbs with the new ones, the fluorescent bulbs to reduce the Australian’s greenhouse gas emissions to protect the environment. The federal government is going to restrict the sale of the old-style bulbs and also ban bulbs that do not achieve the efficiency targets. However, the government is going to exempt the usage of the old bulbs for medical purposes and oven lighting. The old version bulbs caused the temperature to increase because the energy is wasted in the form of heat. And therefore, if the new bulbs are being used, consumers would be able to save money by using them, and also they can help you cut the bills because the fluorescent bulbs do not waste that much in the form of heat. Nonetheless, there are a few who object the plan because they think that most of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions come from industry, not from the heat that is being released by the incandescent bulbs and therefore, replacing bulbs just would not help. Prime Minister, John Howard once said that the plan would involve participation of the society and that is the positive side of it but although he agrees with the plan, he too is reluctant to participate fully as he is afraid that Australia’s coal-dependent economy would damage.


Reflection

In my opinion, what Australia is doing right now in order to protect the world is highly honourable and motivating as it gives the notion of surviving the world, even if it benefits very little after all the hard work that are being poured for it. If each and every country in the whole wide world follows Australia’s footstep, which is to replace the incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs, I believe that the greenhouse gas effects would be able to be reduced at a greater number. However, this step requires supports from every party and to make people united is the biggest challenge to make it happen. Even The Prime Minister is quite reluctant to take this to a higher level, which is to take severe action to save the environment. He possibly thinks that there would be more advantages than disadvantages if his country does it in a small scale first because his actions would not affect him alone, but other people too. And psychologically, not everybody can accept shock very well if he is to discontinue the coal industry, for example. Thousands of people would lose their jobs; and, Australian currency would be at its lowest point. Instead of saving the world, the government has a new responsibility which is to think a way to save their citizens, the residents of the world. Isn’t saving the world is meant to save the human beings? After looking at the pros and cons of his actions, I agree with him and I also believe that everybody needs to take one step at a time; slowly but improving at the same time. Since there are many people out there who are unaware with the problem the world is going to face in the future, what the government should do now is to educate and acknowledge everybody regarding this matter; stress on the importance of the world’s “health” that is actually at its stake of its life; and, take necessary actions that might “cure” the world’s illness. I should say “illness” because logically, the world is “ill” because of our behaviours and actions that lead to pollutions, and pollutions lead to destructions.The pollutions are literally the viruses that attack the world’s immune system and when the immune system is down, the world becomes ill (destruction). Just look at the world’s weather today, it is so early to reach such unstable and unpredictable weather which at the moment have caused massive destructions such as the big flood that happened in Johor, Malaysia; and, the ice rain that happened in Canada. So, even though Australia starts the world’s recovery programme in a small scale, if it is planned correctly and is handled effectively, the world could “recover from its illness” though it might take some time to gather the supports from every party to help the world “recover” and becomes “healthy” like it used to be.

The article"Aussies going fluorescent green" is taken from The News Straits Times, Wednesday, February 21, 2007.