Earth Hour is a campaign whose aim is provide the people with a global platform for a call to urgent action on climate change, according to the official Earth Hour Web site. The Earth Hour website states that this is an event to encourage people to turn off their lights for one hour in order to become more energy efficient.
The campaign is an initiative from the World Wildlife Fund, an organization dedicated to reducing pollution and protecting the world’s biological diversity. Carter Roberts, head of the World Wildlife Fund, said the global event was designed to “make a statement about our commitment to solve the climate change problem and symbolize the commitment that people will make throughout the rest of the year.”
How much electricity consumption does Earth Hour save? Toronto alone saved 2,347,600 kilowatts from participating in Earth Hour last year. Really, it doesn’t matter exactly how much energy was saved in that fraction of a day, because the whole point of the initiative was to get people thinking about energy conservation and to be more aware of ways to do it in an ongoing fashion. This is about changing peoples perspectives. The culture of rampant consumerism and careless waste of resources has zombified us all into (literal) energy suckers. Any hope for this planet lies in all of our abilities to start changing our day to day behaviors on a very deep and conscious level.
To truly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and take the mounting pressure off the impending consequences of global warming, is to immediately start a global regime that puts a cap and a price on climate pollution. Subsequently, the only way that will happen is if world leaders finally become convinced that climate change is an issue, perhaps the most important issue, that matters to people. An issue that is without question going to alter and destroy the way of life we’ve all become numbly accustomed to, and impart to the global population that we all need to change the way we live, buy and vote. The threats to the environment and the future of our planet needs to be thrust to the top of every political agenda in the world, and it needs to happen now.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Sarah, I think you seriously underestimate the importance of zombification of the masses. If people start thinking for themselves and taking a critical look at how they live their day-to-day lives they might stop watching daytime TV. And this in turn could lead to lower ratings and eventual cancellation of fantastic programs like The Price is Right.
I don’t know about you but I don’t want to live in a world without a game show where people are rewarded for knowing the costs of an advertisers products.
Renewable energy is fine, but TV… TV is my shrine! Anything that promotes turning off my TV (Earth Hour I’m looking at you) is clearly evil.
March 24th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
really jake? that’s absolutely pitiful, you should see a doctor.
March 26th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
jake we dont need tv man…get rid of tv and lets go back too the radio without ads.. and if your bored build something or make money come on dude.. human races is controled by tv.. let your 3rd eye open man
March 27th, 2010 at 1:05 am
do the powerplants stop burning coal for that hour? is the carbon output really reduced?
i’m not sure exactly how it works
does anyone actually now how power demand affects powerplants and in turn reduces carbon output?
March 30th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
i think jake is pretty funny and party awsome because I did the earth hour thing and i was kinda sad with out my tv to watch.
March 30th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
*partly
March 26th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
Sorry, I don’t believe in all that climate change crap… All left wing Liberals trying to brainwash us. Sorry… But Climate Change is a natural occurrence on earth!!! Seriously people, just read about something useful like Thomas Paine’s books. Global Warming? The lights aren’t going to effect us. Besides the fact CO2 feeds the plants and the waste plants produce is Oxygen.
Some people and their ideas are ridiculous… Sure it’s good to clean up and maybe get outside and not GLUE yourself to the television or computer, but really? It’s come to days like this?
Stupid…
Oh and look… I’m only 12… The idiots I’ve met, especially the adults… Frigging ridiculous.
March 27th, 2011 at 5:27 am
Does using Computers/TV really cause that much of a carbon footprint?…. Surely Computers/TV are what we should be doing and reading newspapers, non-renewable energy and etc… are the real causes of global warming?
if we can’t use TV/Computers, then f it… global warming wins, because I don’t see how we can survive/progress without technology.