Earth Hour hopes to shed light on climate
So are the St. Louis Gateway Arch, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza and many other iconic structures.
The lights will be going out for Earth Hour, organized by the World Wildlife Fund to draw attention to global warming, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday local time around the world. That’s when organizers of the event, which began in Sydney in 2007, want everyone to turn off non-essential lights.
About 2,800 cities in 83 countries — including 250 in the United States — had signed up, according to Dan Forman, a spokesman for World Wildlife Fund, an international conservation organization that boasts 1.2 million national members and close to 5 million globally.
Forman said organizers want to send a message to Congress and to global leaders working this year on climate change legislation and a treaty to limit greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming.
“It’s all about the symbolism,” he said. “We fully recognize that one hour does not put a dent in the climate crisis.”
The effort has its critics.
“We think Earth Hour, even if you are super-concerned about global warming, is a little lame, and we are making fun of it,” said Eli Lehrer, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a Washington, D.C., think tank that supports limited government and decries global warming “alarmism.”
CEI has announced a “Human Achievement Hour” to counter Earth Hour. The group says millions of people will participate by turning the lights on, going to a concert or seeing a movie. “It’s obviously tongue-in-cheek,” Lehrer said.
Many companies, however, are serious in support of Earth Hour, Forman said. Coca-Cola, for example, has pledged to turn off its big signs around the world, including a marquee in New York’s Times Square.
Schools and universities across the country are also participating, including the University of Louisville.
“We are trying to change the cultural attitudes and behavior,” said professor Barbara Burns, chairwoman of the university’s Sustainability Council. “And one of the first steps is awareness.”
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Lights on!
No “Lights = 0” for me!
Um, so I’ll be turning on all my lights, running my dishwasher, laundry machine, drier, stove. I’ll leave my car idling as well.
In the past Hong Kong has refused this type of thing. Its bad for tourism not to have the city wide light how at 8.
If only the great “Doomslayer” Julian Simon was still around.
“We are trying to change the cultural attitudes and behavior,” said professor Barbara Burns, chairwoman of the university’s Sustainability Council. “And one of the first steps is awareness.”
Awareness? Well then present us with the real story. MSM drives me crazy. Fight eco-terrorism, maximize your power usage, idle your vehicle Sat Mar28, 830pm-930pm est
““It’s all about the symbolism,”
I will have all mine on. Maybe even start up the cars and turn the headlights on too.
Every winter I give up electricity which means no heat, no lights, no water, no TV, no music, etc for 1 to 7 days. This is not voluntary, but the electricity does cut out for days every winter. I figure I have contributed many lifetimes of Earth Hour. In every poll and article on Earth Hour I suggest that they make it Earth Day or better yet Earth week or Earth month. And don’t be such sissies about it, have Earth Week in Jan or Feb when the impact of having no electricity really hits home.
I’m going to check to see if the self cleaning option in my electric oven works. Then run an air conditioner check followed by a complete test of all the lights in my house. I should have a big load of clothes ready for my electric dryer around 9:00.
Every light I own will be on for that hour. ANd I won’t just be idling, I’ll be out driving like a maniac.
They should be able to pick out my house from the Space Station. But not to worry, I only use CFLs.
I don’t see the need to rub people’s faces in my beliefs, so I’ll just ignore it. Honestly, if I wouldn’t have read this, I wouldn’t have even known.
It’s another scam. I will have lots of power devices and lights on.
Here in Australia I’ve been saving a few heavy duty arc welding jobs for this evening.
This also necessitates a lot of angle grinding and disc cutting -oh, and the big tank needs refilling from the three phase pump on the river– ;>)
What me worry? (35 years ago) http://www.witchymom.com/Mad0774.htm
I am turning all my lights on! And possibly starting up my lawnmower… 🙂
I wonder if Hansen’s vigilantes will be out enforcing it?
I will charge my electirc toothbrush..
LK
One of my co-workers asked me if I planned on observing earth hour. I snickered and said “I keep my heat off in the winter, I ride my bike to work every day, my electric bill is under $40/month, and I’m not going to play that silly little game to appease radical politicians and environmental extremists with far-reaching agendas.”
My co-worker just stood there with her mouth open.
I’m usually soft-spoken 🙂
Hold hands and follow the bouncing bucky-ball:
I’d like to teach the world to think
with perfect clarity…
I’d like to buy the world some coal
and burn up every green…
OT: Kind of an odd spec on the sun isn’t it? Can someone tell me what kind of spec/spot/tumor that is or what it is called?
Christmas lights back up!
I refuse steadfastly to be drawn into any of these supra-national egofests for has-been entertainers and failed politicians.
In the 1980s we were mugged by Band Aid and Live Aid to sort out food shortages in Africa. Well, what a huge success that was. Lots of old quasi-musical careers restored; massive appearance fees charged ever since by some of the loudest mouthes involved. And look at Africa, the same problems remain almost a quarter of a century later.
They were too busy feathering their own nests for twenty years, then along came Live8 in 2005 because a new generation of so-called popular entertainers had blown their easily-gotten fortunes on Colombian nose talc and needed a leg-up. More bluster, more “look at us, we are so virtuous”, more nothing of substance.
“Earth Hour” is from exactly the same camp of vainglorious empty gestures. An utterly pointless exercise organised to massage the delicate egos (and, in time, the bank balances) of the current breed of self-appointed saviours of the world.
My first reaction was to turn FatBigot Towers into a festival of light and heat in protest, but why should I? Electricity and gas cost money. Money I have to pay. No, it will be an ordinary hour here, an hour like every other hour, an hour lived trying to act sensibly and fairly, an hour devoid of meaningless posing and enjoyed for what it is – one of the few in my brief time on this planet, one I should use to live my life as I see best, not one wasted on futility.
It is very sad that energy conservation, which is an objective we should all share, it is good husbandry of resources, is being preempted by global warming alarmists.
I would take part in a world gesture to remind all of us not to be profligate with what we find ready, but I will ignore this wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Let’s keep our priorities straight.
This is March Madness. The Elite Eight. There’s a game on till about 9 PM EDT, but it’ll probably run over. And as a multi-tasker, I’ll be on-line.
WWF can take their candles and … better stop there; this is a family site.
Real simple … ‘Earth hour’ Starts in just under 2 hours in New Zealand… my lights are already on and the blinds are open… you can probably see my house from Google Earth…..
I have a question for them about this statement:
“We fully recognize that one hour does not put a dent in the climate crisis.”
How long would we have to go without electricity to put a dent in the crisis? From now on?
It would be more heart-felt if they only lit up these structure for short periods on special evenings, perhaps on New Years Eve. That way we would all understand the idea was sincere