Earth Hour comes to every time zone at 8:30 PM today. Will it make a difference?
Their website says:
On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting our future and that of future generations. Learn more about how Earth Hour began, what we’ve accomplished, and what is in store for 2010.
As many WUWT readers know, I’m all for energy efficiency and conservation when applied in a meaningful way. For example, a few months back, I retrofitted my home with some very cool LED recessed lighting. You can read my About page to see some of my other energy saving projects.
WUWT readers also know that I’m against Catlinesque stunts. Earth Hour, while born of good intentions, is one of those stunts that really doesn’t amount to any long term meaningful energy savings. In fact it doesn’t really even amount to any short term savings.
For example, last year, according to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), Earth Hour made zero difference to the California power consumption. Zero, zip, nada. Have a look at the graph:
Big Hat tip to Roger Sowell for the graphs:
Some greens were quick to point out “but look the power dropped then”.
Yah, it does that every day about that time:
If there was a big effect from Earth Hour, you’d see a step event as everybody turned off their lights in Califonia. Plus, the greens don’t seem to realize that no power plants get switched off, so there’s really no CO2 savings. The power plants are run based on demand forecast. Short term spikes from well intentioned stunts really don’t make a blip of difference to Co2 emissions.
For WUWT readers that wish to track this year’s California Earth Hour impact in real time, you can visit the CAISO tracker:
http://www.caiso.com/outlook/SystemStatus.html
Have fun. Let us know what you did for Earth Hour.
====================================
UPDATE: Thanks to a commenter challenge, I was obliged to look for some other real-time power monitoring locations, this one in Ontario Canada for example:
http://www.ieso.ca/imoweb/siteShared/demand_price.asp?sid=ic
For a fun project, WUWT readers can find their own local power reporting website and post up results here, and I’ll do a new post showcasing the effects of Earth Hour worldwide.
To post images or screencaps in comments use http://www.tinypic.com/ or a similar service and just paste the full image URL in the comments, no tags needed. – Anthony
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
For a different take on earth hour listen to the podcast on this page:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/fricomedy
The relevant Now Show episode is from March 26th, and the fun begins at the 19:30 mark. All the more remarkable for the fact that it was broadcast by the BBC.
Earth Hour is a self serving pretentious jolly for a bunch of dicks. It is about control over the human rather than the planet. If there are any extra terrestials about tonight they will be landing on my property, I will take the hour as an opportunity to be the brightest light on the planet.
Hey does anyone live near Gore in Memphis, TN (I think that’s where he lives right?)
Al Gores average utility bill? Two thousand dollars.
Pictures of his house with the lights on during earth hour? Priceless!
Will the Gore estates be lit up like christmas trees like last years “event”?
I’m celebratin Human Achievement Hour by turning on all my lights and upping the temperaturre in the house.
Alan Caruba has a good take on Earth Hour
http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/2010/03/its-always-earth-hour-in-north-korea.html
Anthony (reply) (10:03:39) :
> REPLY: Perhaps, but my little mention is but a drop in the bucket compared to their ad campaigns. – Anthony
Hmm. If it weren’t for WUWT, I don’t know if I would realize today is Earth Hour Day. I’ll probably see news coverage tonight on TV. I guess I just don’t get the right magazines and stuff.
My employer is planning Earth Day activities, I’ve asked for some wall space to display the Climategate timeline from http://joannenova.com.au/2010/01/finally-the-new-revised-and-edited-climategate-timeline/ (A B&W version only cost me US$8.25 to print, Kinko’s will charge some $12.50.)
There is too much excessive outdoor lighting. It ruins the night sky and it’s a waste of energy. I think Earth Hour is a good thing. Less lighting wont change the climate, but let by all means people believe it for the sake of fixing a problem that I care more about: light pollution.
@Stephen Fisher Brown (10:13:58)
A better site (pointed out by John R. Walker (10:13:01)) is:-
http://www.bmreports.com/bsp/bsp_home.htm
If you pick “Generation by fuel type (table)” at the left side, figures for the last 5 minutes / 30 minutes / 24 hrs come up, usefully broken down into fuel types, so you can see how Big Wind is doing (quite well at the moment – over 2% for 2,700 turbines, compared to 0.8% of total on average through three months December / January / February).
The “Generation by fuel type (graph)” is also good. As well as the graph you can click on “Current / Historic” lower right of graph and download a spreadsheet in csv format of the last three months’ figures. You will have to identify which column is which fuel, however. Use the table as a guide, using the latest figures.
This is information the Government doesn’t want you to see as it proves beyond doubt how useless wind turbines are, especially in cold weather.
And now I’m sorry I took down all the outdoor Christmas lighting! Next year, I’ll wait.
All lights will be going on Plus a griddle that uses about 10A Cooker uses about 30A Microwave about 10A. I’ll have to see if there’s anything else.
That’s about 12kwh so about £1.58. It’s worth it.
DaveE.
Mikael Lönnroth (09:14:07) :
“Turning off the lights is demonstrating that people care about their planet and are ready to accept some changes in order to protect it…..”
Protect against what…..thats the question.
Sounds like “healing” to me.
This is gunna screw up nightlights data
Steinar Midtskogen (10:43:46) :
Yes, but Utility companies make a lot of money off those street lights. It’s more like a subsidy paid by the local residents. At 2am, there is little reason or good that the things perform. Waste.
Another silly waste is Daylight Saving Time.
If Greens really were concerned about conserving energy, they’d be doing something about both problems.
Instead, we get a pitiful feel-good hour and climate hoax.
Tonight is ‘Earth Hour’ a propaganda ploy organized by the WWF, World Wildlife Fund, to promote the global warming hysteria.
“2. When is the next Earth Hour?
“Earth Hour will take place on Saturday, March 27th at 8:30 p.m. local time. [for one hour]
“3. What is in store for Earth Hour 2010?
“On Saturday, March 27th 2010 at 8:30 p.m. hundreds of millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour, symbolically calling for action on climate change. In the United States, WWF is looking for continued support from the hundreds of local governments, communities and business, as well as the tens of millions of Americans who voted with their light switch during Earth Hour 09.”
We can all vote, too, with our light switch!
Let YOUR light SHINE at 8:30
Pass the word…
A key point missing in much of the discussion: Earth Hour is not about energy conservation, in their own words it is “symbolically calling for action on climate change.”
AND it is a great advertising freebie for the WWF which raises a half billion dollars annually:
http://nofrakkingconsensus.blogspot.com/2010/03/earth-hour-2010.html
@Robert of Ottawa (10:33:12) :
I’m celebratin Human Achievement Hour by turning on all my lights and upping the temperaturre in the house.
Count me in — I’ll be turning on the lights this evening!
I plan to observe earth hour by turning off my lights on my way to the airport, where I will get onto a plane to head to the east coast.
Of course, my wife will turn them back on when she gets back from dropping me off.
Earth Hour is the cost of a yearly indulgence for the green religion. But most won’t repent and actually follow their religion. Hypocrites all.
I live off grid but will use some of my reserve power to turn on the lights during Human Achievement hour. Better yet I’ll fire up the whole house generator for that hour and top off my batteries.
I am surprised that no one has suggested that we turn off everything for the hour BEFORE earth hour, then turn it all back on at the beginning of earth hour.
This would make the difference all the more obvious (on the chart). Why, I might even shut down this computer in such an honorable quest. Sorry Anthony, fewer hits in the hour before EH.
My vote for Quote of the Week, from Leon Brozyna:
“I won’t be suckered into anyone else’s guilt trip”.
At the time of submission, it’s still an hour and a half before “Earth Hour” hits me. I might even turn on the TV.
Cheers,
Neil
I wonder how many greenies will be huddled around their computers, checking out all the web stuff about Earth Hour as it happens, in a stunning act of hypocrisy.
Last year for Earth Day I put up a poster of the Korea night shot, and have kept it on my office door (at the university) all year because I think it makes a great point.
I forget who penned the caption — maybe someone here knows, they should be credited — but in any case I think it’s a devastating way to articulate the point:
EARTH HOUR
Guess which Korea is free and which is a Stalinist dictatorship. Guess which Korea eats and which one starves. Electricity is good. Choose freedom, and build more power plants.
Anthony,
I recall you blogged several weeks ago about your letter to a newspaper bemoaning the use of the word “denier” as it pertains to the views of AGW shared by you and others. From memory, I also recall a general conversation about name calling, ad hominem, etc.
And yet here you all are using phrases like “eco-greenie halfwits”. And yet you stand consipicuously moot. Would you just like to come out and admit you lack the objectivity to be called a scientist, and that this is not a “science” blog?
With regards to Earth Hour: are you really trying to convince everyone that this even is designed to save the world? Clearly it is a symbolic gesture, meant to remind people of the importance of global awareness, energy consumption and maybe even – gasp – recessed LEDs.
I have my timer set to remind me when it’s 8:30, so I can turn on every light in the house as a protest. Maybe I’ll hang up some of the Christmas lights again too.