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.”
Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged 1957
The Cult of Darkness
“New York City . . . rose in the distance before them, it was still extending its lights to the sky, still defying the primordial darkness . . . The plane was above the peaks of the skyscrapers when suddenly . . . as if the ground had parted to engulf it, the city disappeared from the face of the earth. It took them a moment to realize . . . that the lights of New York had gone out.”
All of my lights will be on!
Michael Ronayne
Nutley, New Jersey
I’ve been pimping my Alpha Proxima Day counter celebration for a month. Take a look–join the fun.
http://cbullitt.wordpress.com/2009/03/28/alpha-proxima-day-lights-camera-action/
No Rik, it won’t, because the vast majority of people either do not know about this action or do not care for it. I expect the effect to be minimal.
Tonight I will be turning off my lights and encouraging others to do so. Not in the name of global warming, but in the name of Astronomy. There is no doubt about light pollution. Go out side your house with the outdoor lights off, and find a constellation to look at. After your eyes adapt to the darkness (about 15 minutes), count the stars in that constellation. Now turn on your exterior lights and see how many stars you cannot see now. Or even stand near a car dealership and marvel how much you cannot see. Help celebrate the International year of astronomy! Visit http://www.astronomy2009.org/ and http://www.darksky.org. BTW, When you live in a Northern climate and it takes you 15 minutes just to get all your winter gear on before going out into the -20C to -40C “global warming” induced heat wave, you realize that if AGW were to be real, you wouldn’t mind warmer temps!
What do I plan to do?
The wife and I are leaving ina few minutes to look at used diesel Ford Excursions.
I am completely 100% not kidding either…
Maybe I will start those things that relish CO2 in trays and daydream or more likely evening dream of the tomatoes, peppers,onions and brocoli they will produce a few months from now.
Tomatoes love global warming, ripen nicely with the warm nights.
By the way, does anyone know what the chemical composition of the smell of such fragant flowers as lilacs, roses, and even marigolds? Or where I might start looking ? I would like to know if they contain chemicals that might be banned in that certain state on the West Coast.
Granted, this is from last year, but the spirit of message still holds firm…
http://thepeoplescube.com/red/viewtopic.php?t=1845
Especially in light of the ’09 election results.
PS–TonyB, don’t forget to turn a spotlight on Maurice Strong…Algore’s cohort [and fellow eco-profiteer] at the UN. He gets nowhere near the scrutiny he deserves.
Edward Mitchell, you are trying to hijack devotion to astronomy to the cause of AGW and UN-owns-the-world. I checked your site and this is what I found:
Enjoy dark skies locally when cities across the world turn off lights for one hour in a collective action to reduce energy consumption and protect the environment during the last night of GLOBE at Night. So far, over 2,800 cities around the world are planning to participate in this event. Observe Earth Hour in your home by identifying and turning off all unnecessary lights for one hour, and be part of a worldwide movement to reduce energy and support natural skies. Learn more about Earth Hour >>
You are in cahoots to destroy human achievement and the environment. Be gone!
I don’t know how many of you know this but there really is a movement dedicated to turning lights out. According to them even light is polluting. As usual they underestimate how adaptable species are by saying wildlife is confused by our lights.
Imagine, dark cities every night just like in Jack the Ripper’s day. I lived in Mumbai for a while. The lights would go out now and then because of badly engineered grids (a side effect of using very low cost labour and materials). It got dark for hours at a time It encouraged people to go out more instead of staying home in the dark, driving long distances to clubs and restaurants where there were lights. In other words, higher energy use than if the lights were on.
This shows again the shortsightedness of environmentalists. Though well intentioned they never think of the consequences because it doesn’t matter what happens as a result. All that matters is being obeyed in the first place.
Heres an idea, drive around your neighborhood, noting houses that have their lights off and then send out information on alterate theorys of climate to them. Svensmarks stuff on cosmic ray cloud links come to mind
If you want more “awareness” about global warming, how about taking a science class, instead of some empty gesture. Maybe then they would be aware of the farse.
So when is this thing going to happen/not happen?
I haven’t charged the deep cycle batteries I keep on hand for power outages lately. Tonight’s as good a time as any, I suppose.
Stefan said “That’s why the Iraq project to create democracy was doomed from the start. Iraq and Afghanistan are tribal feudal lands. ”
Don’t be daft, Stefan. Iraq is the cradle of civilisation and has been civil many times. Its problems between religious sects are no different from that between Protestants and Catholics in past times. They deserve a chance at democracy and they are succeeding. Latest polls indicate that Iraqis prefer the democratic model and want to keep it that way.
Afghanistan. It is a bandit country but so was the Wild West. Would anyone (apart from some crazy people) argue against the civil and industrial development that resulted in the USA ?
what did you do for earth hour?
nothing.
I wonder if I can get a fleet of 10 KW searchlights…….hmmmm
I’m turning on my spot light in protest. This is a nice gesture though.
Above all else during this hour of earth’s need start writing checks as gifts to the government to prepare yourself for the new tax planned by Obama to go along with the EPAs pronouncement that CO2 is a pollutant in the atmosphere. The new expanding government aristocracy needs funding. You might even consider writing a check or two to the UN to help redistribute your wealth to those who want it more than you.
Big plans for tonight! I’ll be doing a load of laundry, running the dish washer, firing up the self-cleaning oven, and taking a hot bath while listening to the game on the TV and/or radio. What with everyone else huddled in the dark, I’m sure the grid can accommodate my needs! 🙂
I am going to wear a CO2 colored, CO2 scratch and sniff ribbon from now on. That will show everyone how much I care. Of course you all won’t be able to see or smell it, but trust me, it’s there.
This reminds me of World Jump Day. Just as effective, too.
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The unintended consequence of turning the lights of might be that people in the dark rediscover other forms of entertainment resulting in a large increase in population nine month later.
And from what some Oregon scientists are saying that is bad for the planet too.
They have genuinely gone mad
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/28/g20-protest-police-rainbow-alliance
Millions upon millions of people infected by a disease called Bad Information. We have information at the touch of a button but people have become so dumbed down, divided, self-absorbed, hateful and selfish that they can’t even sit down for a moment to see that they are following lies, lying to themselves or lying to others.
It is ironic that Sydney, Australia led the way with this. Every New Year this same city also leads the way with an incredible fireworks display centred on the Sydney Harbour Bridge that loudly shouts”Green doesn’t matter”. Undoubtedly there will be (electrically powered) television cameras from all over the world transmitting visuals to TV sets (electrically powered) all over the world, showing blacked-out everythings, as they trumpet this milestone event.
Geoff Alder
I think I will just save my lights out for that one week every couple of years after a hurricane’s landfall.
This is goofy.
And I shall remember that Coca Cola and esurance were big participants and spend my money elsewhere. A lack of protest is exactly what made all of our corporations think that we are all ok with them offering all of their services in spanish and pressing one for english. Maybe we should let them know what we think about them pandering to the alarm crowd.