Saturday 28th March is “Earth Hour” – a time to sit in the dark and appreciate the benefits of our cheap reliable hydrocarbon-energy.
[Like these candles, for example, from the WWF sponsored Earth Hour home page – Anthony]
Guest essay by Viv Forbes
We should spend Earth Hour giving thanks for warmth.
Just thirteen thousand years ago, Earth was in the grip of a deathly ice age. Sea levels were indeed much lower but much of the land surface was covered by thick sheets of ice. Life struggled to survive and many species were extinguished by the sterile suffocating ice.
Without any help from humans, Earth escaped from the ice. And as the oceans warmed they expelled part of their dissolved carbon dioxide which nurtured an enormous increase in plant and animal life.
But the ice still lurks near the poles, and Earth has suffered several cold relapses. The most recent “Little Ice Age” just released its icy grip about 150 years ago.
The modern warming phase ceased around the turn of this century – there are teenagers today who have never lived in a phase of rising global temperatures. And our sun is showing disturbing signs of reduced activity, which may presage a new cooling phase.
Earth is on a climate see-saw between a warm green globe and a frozen white wilderness. Unless you are a penguin or a polar bear, you should spend Earth Hour celebrating today’s warmth and giving thanks for our cheap, abundant hydro-carbon fuels which will help humans to survive any return of Global Cooling.
Earth Hour – we need to celebrate Coal not Candles:
http://carbon-sense.com/2012/03/31/earth-hour/
[Note: Personally, I plan to turn on all my lights tonight, meanwhile, the Dark-Earthers are asking for your opinion about it, see below and click if you wish to add your opinion. There’s lots of opportunity for write-in answers – Anthony]
I filled out the survey and ask them the question: “When has the climate ever been static?”
I plan on enjoy earth hour by playing a 3D heavy computer game. Computers with add-on video cards use a lot more electricity when playing a game. My computer’s energy usage doubles when playing these games. Thanks to cheap electricity, I can enjoy my computer games.
Hear, hear!
During earth hour in the netherlands there is a footballl game between holland and turkey. Nobody will switch off their tv set.
Just thrown some extra shovel fulls of lovely house coal on my open fire in the lounge. Toasty feet and plenty of life giving CO2 for my garden. Roll on the extra 2 degrees we were promised, it is bl**dy cold here.
On a most basic level, if one could ask the chap on the Clapham Omnibus if it were at all possible to control the
weatherclimate he would give you some very earthy Anglo-Saxon advice to go forth and multiply. Yet the WWF seem to think that they can get people to ‘use [their] power to change climate change’. All totally free of hubris and arrogance – not to mention science. I really fear for the world my new grandson will inhabit when he’s of age – and it won’t be the world according to Gore and Hansen – it’ll be the world according to their puppet masters: the fourthreichworld. Oh what a prize for them to aspire to…CONGRATULATIONS! (on your new grandson)
I hope he takes after his Grandpa Passfield!
(or will he call you “Grandfather” over there?)
(but, please, this for his Mum, don’t tell him your old nickname until he’s too old to want to go running all over the house yelling it at the top of his lungs…yeah, I remember…)
Janice
#(:))
Flattered (?) you remembered my nickname, Janice. Thanks…(grin)
Who could forget? lol (had to do with a fast car, no doubt — smile)
Again so soon? Dang!
Another
EarthMisanthropy Hour rolls around and I won’t be joining the celebration. How do all those misanthropes stand the pain of gathering in groups and looking at each other? It doesn’t make a lick of sense to me.Every day is Earth Day for the Earth. What does the Earth care about us? The Earth doesn’t need us one way or the other as it will continue its existence with or without us. Humanity? If we don’t figure out how to continue our species here on Earth, we’ll have to leave, evolve, or suffer the fate of the innumerable species before us that have gone extinct.
.
.
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Random thought… why do people so often feel it’s necessary to light a candle to make a point? If you have to light a candle to make your point, maybe you don’t really have a point.
/curmudgeon
H.R.: My favourite joke about candles (No! Not that one!): What did we use for lighting before candles, Granddad? Electricity, my boy. [sigh]
lol.
Ah, “Granddad,” so that’s what he will call you. 🙂
Just make sure they are beewax candles, y;know, the ones that are “emissions” free!
Candles are for holy times.
That simple and that sickening.
…in remembrance of Gaia…
I was wondering why a trendy tried to unplug me today.
The world is full of wonders 🙂
Apologies if this has been mentioned before, but as tonight is clock change (to BST) in the UK, I figure my earth Hour will be at 01:00 – and last until 02:00 (Sunday). And 60M people in the UK seem to be persuaded to the same course of action – just think of all the energy we’ll have saved…No?
Earth Hour … we’re off to never never land …
Enter Sandman
Say your prayers, little one
Don’t forget, my son
To include everyone
Tuck you in, warm within
Keep you free from sin
Till the Sandman he comes
Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight
Exit: light
Enter: night
Take my hand
We’re off to never never land
Something’s wrong, shut the light
Heavy thoughts tonight
And they aren’t of Snow White
Dreams of war, dreams of liars
Dreams of dragon’s fire
And of things that will bite
Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight
Exit: light
Enter: night
Take my hand
We’re off to never never land
Now I lay me down to sleep
Pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I die before I wake
Pray the Lord my soul to take
Hush little baby, don’t say a word
And never mind that noise you heard
It’s just the beasts under your bed
In your closet, in your head
Exit: light
Enter: night
Grain of sand
Exit: light
Enter: night
Take my hand
We’re off to never never land
I’ll take that bet, and raise you…:
Snip at will mods.
Judas priest, U.K.,
I LOVEd that song in college! Something about that unvarnished strut-your-stuff ‘TUDE.
“Don’t tread on me” comes to mind… .
Thanks for a fun blast from the past.
“Love live rock ‘n’ roll (you betcha).” Def Leppard.
Here comes Mariano Rivera.
By switching off their energy-saving mercury lamps and lighting CO2-producing candles instead, the WWF people demonstrate for a warmer climate and more bioproductivity through enhanced CO2 levels.
A well-intentioned effort yet misguided – as the last 18 years have conclusively shown that rising CO2 does not affect the climate in any way.
Yes!
All they are doing is a cunning CO2 propaganda campaign.
(While they ostensibly promote CO2 emissions, they actually promote the l1e about CO2 effect (non proven) — result: (paraph.) “Oh, even though it can do good things, it will do them too fast, too much, so BUY OUR WINDMILLS.” Siemens, Corp.)
Fact: CO2 UP. WARMING STOPPED.
The cans of mackerel I buy in the local supermarket have the WWF Death Panda on it. I take it that the mackerel is an endangered species then. Good that they haven’t raised the price.
No, Dirk. I think the Death Panda on the can means “No Pandas were harmed in the process of netting this mackerel.” Or maybe I’m thinking of “Dolphin Safe” tuna… Anyhow, I suppose you’ll be all right if you light a candle before you open the can.
lol
Me too, Janice.
me too.
It means that it contains no dead sea turtles who choked on deflated helium balloons.
I am so glad to read this in time to shut off the lights and grab the candles for an evening of celebrating the warmth without using excess energy.
Seidler,
You do that.
Disregard the fact that more synthetic fossil fuel is burned [inefficiently] with your candles than by using electricity. Disregard the fact that you’re emitting not only excess CO2 with your candles, but you are also emitting unregulated carbon particulates [soot]. You will be doing what the eco-Norks do 24/7/365.
It’s the symbolism that matters. Right? The feel-good aspect.
Me, I’ll have every light on, inside and out, for that hour. That’s my symbolism.☺
[Apologies if you were being sarcastic.]
Let’s see the Kentucky vs. Notre Dame Semifinal game is on TV at that time. I’m sure everyone in Kentucky and Indiana are going to be good boys and girls and shut off their TV for an hour during the game. LOL.
In about 2 years (not that I’ve looked every day), I have not ONCE seen anyone on that Facebook display (3 x 6 on right margin) whom I know or who posts on WUWT. Not one of the 8,684. What are the odds? 18 at a time… regenerates about once a day??…. hm.
Have you recognized anyone there? …………?
Anyone? …… Anyone?………. Buehler?
Not even me – although you know I am mostly a reader. I look too.
This is the real Bubba Cow, my buddy, formerly of Yola, Nigeria where it is Earth Hour every hour. Sometimes the sun is up and equally not. Bubba is no longer with us having become BBQ for an entire village in the bush over a slow roasting wood fire, in the dark, but sipping palm wine. Fortunately there is warmth that near the equator.
Hey, Bubba, thanks for responding. Shrug — go figure.
Waaa, I eat beef, but there is a rule (at least the few farmer friends I know follow it): DO NOT NAME ANYTHING YOU PLAN TO EAT. Aaaaaaaa. Well, poor ol’ Bubba (and your buddy, to boot! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!). Glad the village was fed, though.
Thanks for sharing. (and you need to comment more — I enjoy reading your insights)
I post over there, my image is a snowflake. I often reply to comments there with links to WUWT articles because a lot of people over there don’t read this blog!
This may be somewhat OT, but if commenters here think Earth House is a silly and pointless idea, try this: A female state legislator in California is re-introducing legislation requiring the state of California to address all global warming policies and programs in the U.S. from the perspective of gender–namely the female gender.
http://tinyurl.com/nhtag7g
“……..women will disproportionately face harmful impacts from climate change,
particularly in poor and developing nations where women regularly assume increased responsibility for growing the family’s food and collecting water, fuel, and other resources,” the measure reads, they will be the most desperate and vulnerable, forced into situations,“such as sex work, transactional sex, and early marriage.”
So, in other words, climate change is going to force women into prostitution among other things. California truly is the land of the fruits and nuts–in more ways than one.
I should say, force MORE women into prostitution.
LA maybe? Cripes – she’s been elected in since 1998. No Pause there.
Does this explain why it is hot in Las Vegas?
Lights *On* here in Blighty !
I’m celebrating Electricity Hour here in the UK with about 1kW of lights shining out. That’ll cost about 15p (20c). Let’s give thanks that we have abundant cheap power, and that we can afford all the good things it brings – warmth, health, good and long life.
Thanks for the link to the Earth Hour.Survey. I was able to give them some answers that will surprise them and, I hope, make them think and re-consider their own nonsense.
Wait – when is it again? 8:30? Sorry, I’ll be busy then. Not sure with what yet, but I know I’ll be busy. Oh well, maybe next year.
Interesting poll results by the weather network, as to participation:
59% will not participate
14% don’t know yet
27% will participate
Sounds similar to polls of AGW concern in general.
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/poll/result/will-you-be-observing-earth-hour-tonight/48151/
Gotta love it .
I know this a late comment, Bob, but that one though is so on the mark!
“This program is brought to you by Shell???/ Exxon????/ etc”.
Thanks for the heads up Viv. The officers here at the Environment Agency are already polishing plans for a “Frostbite Tax”.
Had fun with the survey. Pointed out how Orwellian the switch from “global warming” to “climate change” was. Ended with “Enlightenment, not Endarkenment”. On the way there just sort of casually mentioned that climate is a coupled binary chaotic system, and that there’s nothing we can do about that. (Not that I no what I was tawking about, but I was carfull to speel the wurds proper.)
Well, sadly enough it is possible. By cutting down all the (equatorial) rainforest and the Taiga around the world, the climate will change for sure! To what extent, one can only guess … (Not due to the associated CO2 though …)
Here in Sweden, we are probably close to do something like that, as one Swedish politician (of the Swedish Labour Party … What else?) suggested to cut down large areas of forests. Only to make room for all the paperless “refugees”[*] that the politicians would like to host here (at the expense of the Swedish people and the Swedish Nature).
Any further writing is definite OT, so if you are interested of reading more, please continuing reading on my blog here (in English).
Sorry, here is the link: https://sasjal.wordpress.com/2015/03/29/extension-of-a-comment-at-wuwt/
Hi Sasjal, you will be happy to know that your government is providing 12 million dollars of funding to a UBC academic to research Climate Morality :
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2014/07/29/ubc-philosopher-wins-80-million-swedish-kroner-grant-and-thats-a-lot/
Here is an update on the Climate Morality funding from yesterdays Vancouver Sun newspaper :
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Douglas+Todd+Free+will+taking+responsibility/10926382/story.html
Janice,
“standing in front of the North Korean Air Force”
.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA………Oh God that was a good un…Ta.
Thanks 🙂
What total, unadulterated bunk.
Based on Ontario Power Generation’s generation ratios between nuclear, hydro and thermal, only 3.85% of electrical generation comes from thermal sources and therefore actually produces carbon dioxide. So according to the climate panjandrums, I can light a single tea light during Earth Hour to replace the 11 x 60W light-bulbs I’ll have turned off – but based on the CO2 evolved by combustion of paraffin, I’ll have to blow it out after 34 minutes, or else I’ll have produced more carbon dioxide from my tiny candle than Ontario Power Generation would have produced to run my 11 light-bulbs for an hour. For the first 34 minutes of “Earth Hour”, therefore, I’ll be trying to run my life by the light of a single, tiny candle; and for the last 26 minutes, I’ll be sitting idle in the dark.
It does not get any more symbolic than that – but I don’t think the warm-mongers understand what they’re really symbolizing.
Burning paraffin candles? Why not make a ‘candle app’ for the iPhoney and everyone hold their iPhoney aloft with a candle flickering on their screen to declare their intent. Presto! zero emissions candle light vigil! A little group think, maybe a few harsh frowns and stares at the traditionalists and pretty soon everyone will be complying with the new Earth Hour zero-emissions candle standard. I hear next years version will have an ‘Earth-Day-Birthday’ function where the touch screen senses your breath so that you can literally blow the candle out for dramatic crowd darkness effects! Just like the real thing guys, even a stiff breeze can blow it out! And it can then use the camera’s IR functions to sense real flame, so you can use a cigarette lighter to re-light the candle!
Is that cool or what trend-setters?
You forget to consider all the CO2 from the crowd’s breath blowing out the ‘candle app.’
doh! … thought I’d cracked it! … was just pondering my pending major Scandinavian science prize … 😀
lol, still very cool, though, unmentionable. 🙂
Tell the Swedes you can make the ocean levels drop and that there are about 62 states in the United States, that your America-hating pastor of 20 plus years is just like that “crazy uncle” some people keep in the attic, and that your parents met for the first time at a march that took place years after you were born… and you, too, can win a prize!