Earth Hour – Is it worth the effort?

If you look at it another way, the switch to DST has the same effect – once per year. The “spring forward” would save the same amount of CO2 as the “earth hour” does (that 248 metric tons). Of course, the “fall back” ADDS that much CO2 (248 metric tons) to the earth, leveling it out.
One more thing – how many of you enjoyed your every-four-years Leap Day? Using his calculations, that “extra day” added 5,952 metric tons (248 x 24) of CO2 to the earth. You’ll need 24 annual “earth days” to get rid of that amount.
Add THAT to his “…so it would require a little more than 28 years of sitting in the dark to make good on a single year’s emissions reduction target…”, and you’re beginning to see just how ineffective the effort is.
When people ask you if you participated in “earth hour”, tell them you already give to the cause by skipping an entire hour on March 11, 2012 (setting your clocks from 1AM to 2AM).

On Saturday, March 31st at 8.30pm I’ll be yawning.

Only simpletons would turn their lights off on the order of friends of the earth and the likes. How dumb the vast majority of people are, no wonder they are so easily led, just like sheep. So sad.

Just say when and I’ll turn ON both giant TVs & surround sounds, all five of my computers, my refrigerator & freezer on max, the air conditioner at the same time as the fireplace heater, both showers, the dishwasher, the electric oven, all the lights, and the pool pump with heater on max.
Maybe it’ll make up for having two hybrids.

sHx says @ur momisugly March 10, 2012 at 12:15 pm
As I did last year, this year too I’ll mark Earth Hour by turning on all the lights. We ought to be celebrating this great human invention, not condemning it.
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Agreed. Not only that I will turn the heat up from 50F where I normally keep it to 72F.
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An 80% reduction in mankind’s CO2 emissions is being discussed in the EU. Poland was the only government to veto. Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard of the EU’s executive arm wants “…. the roadmap lays out a route towards a long-term aim to reduce the bloc’s carbon emissions by 80 percent by the middle of the century…” http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-rt-us-eu-environmentbre82817a-20120309,0,4020654.story
This is based on “reducing CO2 output by 80%” being the low end of numbers estimated to “remove” mankind’s footprint of warming according to: http://www.newscientist.com/data/doc/article/mg20427373.400/ce_new_scientist_report.pdf
SO what does that mean to us common folk?
The average energy consumption for the USA is 335.9 million BTUs per person. http://www.nuicc.info/?page_id=1467
In 1800 the USA had a per-capita energy consumption of about 90 million Btu. http://www.bu.edu/pardee/files/2010/11/12-PP-Nov2010.pdf
If the USA reduces its energy consumption by 80% it equals 45.18 million Btu. per person which is HALF that used back in colonial times. With the current population this could not be done without anarchy. With the exception of the Amish/ Mennonite type communities, none of us are adapted to live completely self sufficiently and even they need metal. Therefore the only way we could reduce our per capita carbon emissions while still having enough energy for anything close to a modern society is Nuclear. Wind Power, Bio-fuels and Solar are never going to be anything more than rich man play toys (Boondoggles), suited to certain niche markets but they are just not reliable 24/7 365 days a year. Heck they CONSUME more energy during manufacture and transport than they actually produce so their Carbon foot print is hardly zero.
Bio-fuel: http://stopogm.net/sites/stopogm.net/files/foodvsbiofuelspimentel.pdf
Solar: http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/eng99/eng99553.htm
Wind power: http://www.windpowerfraud.com/

As V. Martin has already indicated, there appears to be an unfortunate coincidence of times with Human Achievement Hour. This is the 1 hour/year where I stress test my homes electrical system by turning on every appliance and light that is connected to the electrical system. Considering that I have 200 A coming into my house, in theory I should be able to use close to 200 Kwh over this 1 hour period. Haven’t come close yet and think I used about 30 Kwh during the last Human Achievement Hour.
In terms of choice of lighting, I have 1 W LED’s outside which provide a surprising amount of light and are on all the time. Haven’t gotten around to trying higher wattage LED lights as Kamloops power is rather dirty (lost 2 computer power supplies due to transients in the last 6 months) and the cost of UPS systems for power conditioning is a lot more than the cost of buying incandescent bulbs which I stocked up on over the last few years. Heat from incandescent bulbs is welcome in this climate in the winter.
Turning off streetlights periodically to facilitate astronomic observation is an excellent idea that I would be in favor of. I do have one spot in my house where there is a deck that I light with a 1 W red LED that provides a view of a truly dark section of sky but it would be so nice to be able to see the full sky with dark adapted eyes. Perhaps the solution is to replace all street lights with high-power red LED’s which wouldn’t affect visual dark adaptation and would allow for people to view the night sky better within cities.

You know, its heartbreaking to think of the hundreds of millions of human beings who have no electricity, of the hundreds of thousands of poor elderly who are unable to afford the massively increased energy bills. These self obsessed green idiots pimping their earth hour do not stop to think of the consequences of their actions, more importantly they are not being challenged. People are dying because they can no longer afford energy bills inflated by the policies the greens have peddled. Chickens have a habit of coming home to roost, these utterly foolish greens have yet to realise the reality.
Cheap and reliable electricity to the masses is a great and noble thing, there is nothing bad about the concept whatsoever, we should not feel guilty about the miracle of electricity. Rather we should celebrate this wonderful gift, at the appointed hour I urge everyone to turn on every light and appliance you own. All ecofascism can offer darkness and poverty and cold and ignorance, they wallow in their feelings of moral superiority but most have no conception of the indignities of poverty, of the awful conditions of the poorest in this world and it is the poorest who are suffering most on the alter of their ridiculous cult.
There are millions in the 3rd world who would love to have lights to turn out, there are millions of poor elderly who would love to be able to switch on a heater in winter. Most greenies are middle class guilt ridden and gullible looking for a cause, most have no idea what its like to be cold and hungry and poor. These foolish people need to be shown the door before they drag us into a new dark age, they need to see the consequences of their actions.

The more energy I’m using the better I sleep at night. Especially if it’s from oil, coal, or nuclear sources.

I’d be more inclined to turn all my lights on for that hour, because for as long as I’ve lived, which is just over 71 years, I’ve never ever left “non-essential lights” switched on intentionally.

Now if you shut down all the subways in NYC and DC, Amtrak’s northeast corridor, all printing presses for Sunday’s papers, all the street lights, all the traffic lights, all the TV and radio stations, all the charging stations for EVs and all the lights of Las Vegas you might make an impact for that single hour.
But most of that usage would simply be delayed to later hours and you won’t see TV stations shutting down in prime time.