By requiring that light bulbs use at least 25 per cent less electricity, starting in 2012, the US government set in train a process whereby the nation would use less energy, manufacturers would invent more efficient types of bulbs and the planet would be spared millions of tons of carbon emissions every year. But the traditional light bulb has become a powerful emotional symbol, conjuring both consumer anxiety over losing a familiar and flattering light source and political antipathy to government meddling. So the government delayed enforcement of the new standards until at least 1 October and we have to wait a short while for the planet to be saved!
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