The news today is full of talk about Earth Hour. Frankly, I think the idea is stupid. Telling people to turn out the lights for one hour one day has a trivial impact. Furthermore, it has nothing to do with approaches that actually would. Shutting down the lights in a brief symbolic gesture does nothing to change the energy basis of our society. Replacing one ordinary light bulb with a compact fluorescent one would have a bigger impact in the long term, and would at least suggest an understanding that brief voluntary abstinence from energy use is no solution whatsoever. Earth Hour is akin to choosing to fast for one hour and hoping that it will send a strong message to the factory farming industry.
Earth Hour reinforces many of the fallacies people believe about climate change, such as:
- It will mostly be solved through consumer choices
- Voluntary efforts are enough
- It’s the visible changes that really matter
As discussed at length here in the past, it is very likely that none of these things are true. Climate change will only be dealt with when the energy basis of society has changed enough that the most greedy and selfish people are nonetheless leading low-carbon lives. That requires massive infrastructure change over the course of decades - the progressive replacement of high carbon options with low carbon and finally zero carbon ones. Earth Hour is, at best, a distraction from this process.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m sure the hour in darkness will not stop pollution or excessive waste, but it may bring awareness to some people. Like that guy who dumps motor oil into the ground or pokes a hole in his portable air conditioner to release the freon all because “the earth can fix itself” Even a silly bumper sticker or tee shirt slogan won’t reverse human impact but it may get one thinking.
I too think “Earth Hour” is stupid, but not because of it’s limited impact, but because I do not believe human activity influences climate change in the way presented, and the CO2 hype is just that. I do believe in energy conservation for economic reasons, and spend much of my time turning things off in the house and telling the children to do the same, but for 1 hour today I am going to do the opposite, throw another lump or two of coal on the fire, and let the engine in the car run. (On second thoughts the car bit is just too expensive).
People are also ignoring that it is cold out and, at least for inside lights, turning them off simply means the furnaces will have to work that little bit slightly harder for an hour.
Maybe Earth hour is being sponsored by the gas companies.
I completely agree with your post, well said.
David H,
I’m sure the hour in darkness will not stop pollution or excessive waste, but it may bring awareness to some people.
I don’t think there is anyone in Canada who is both (a) ignorant about the nature and seriousness of climate change and (b) liable to have their mind changed by a gesture like this.
P.S. I removed the commercial links from your comment. This blog is not a place to sell t-shirts.
Donald P,
I too think “Earth Hour” is stupid, but not because of it’s limited impact, but because I do not believe human activity influences climate change in the way presented, and the CO2 hype is just that.
It is precisely because the problem is so real and serious that Earth Hour deserves condemnation. It trivializes what is perhaps the greatest challenge ever faced by human civilization: stabilizing the climate in spite of the availability of fossil fuels and short-term desirability of felling trees.
Those who still doubt the ironclad science behind the central elements of climate change may want to have a look at this.
Tristan,
This point has been extensively discussed and is probably valid. The really surprising thing about Earth Hour is that there seem to be people who think the actual, direct impact will somehow be significant. Almost certainly, the impact will be less than that of random changes in weather on the day in question.
What is that bridge? It seems to be a favourite of yours.
Posts on many aspects of climate change
R.K.,
That is the Bank Street Canal Bridge, near the Glebe in Ottawa.
I think it is among the most elegant structures in the city. It is also notable because of how much its mood can change on the basis of lighting.
If you want to participate in a more meaningful event, consider Fossil Fool Day.
Suggested actions:
* Block gas stations and biofuel facilities
* Protest outside banks that fund oil projects
* Deflate the tires of SUVs
* Protest outside travel agencies
* Block road construction
* Form a critical mass of cyclists and block traffic
* Block access to mines and powerplants
* Protest at corporate HQs
I disagree and agree. On the one hand, everything you say is true, on the other hand, as for making sacrifice explicitly part of the public discourse, it probably must appear first as token before it can become as substantial.
Milan - I concur wholeheartedly. I’ve heard of at least one person having a no-electricity party to celebrate Earth Hour, & the while thing seems idiotic. So saying, I think voluntary changes could make a difference (though collective enforcement would obviously be much better) - but only when they refer to a vastly different scale of energy use such as flights. Perhaps we need a really great Don’t Fly This Year movement, with local groups & campaigns? People could be sent a virtual certificate congratulating them on taking no flights in & choose to buy organic tshirts, posters etc saying “I Didn’t Fly in - visit http://www.dontflythisyear.org to join the campaign”. This might be neatly combined with your suggested protests outside travel agencies, too.
Stupid indeed. “I can turn the lights off for one hour, masturbate while thinking oh oh oh! I am saving the earth! And then go back to being an energy guzzling SUV driving asshole for the other 8,759 hours in the year. But it is OK cuz I turned the lights out for Earth hour. Ohhh it feels so good.”
Aussies turned on by Earth Hour switch-off -poll
Reuters UK - 12 hours ago
By James Thornhill SYDNEY (Reuters) - More than half of Australian adults switched off their lights in major cities on Saturday as part of Earth Hour to raise awareness about climate change, organizers of the event said, citing a poll.
It’s Earth Hour
Even a big shaggy dog shook his tail for the count down in Nathan Phillips Square. As soon as the clock struck 8 p.m. the BMO building blinked out over the cheering crowd as Nelly stepped up to the mic to sing “Turn out the lights”. With every passing minute the night gets darker and the audience stands outlined in the fading civil twilight. In addition to some familiar faces from local news stations I’ve spotted local city councillor Janet Davis and MP Olivia Chow enjoying the show.
Earth Hour Success!
Earth Hour was an astronomical success! At 8:50pm the electricity consumption in the city dropped by 264 Megawatts, which is approximately 175,000 households. And much of the city remains dark.
If you want to participate in a more meaningful event, consider Fossil Fool Day.
Fossil Fool Day seems like a good opportunity to get arrested, though it is undeniably more hardcore than Earth Hour.
I disagree and agree. On the one hand, everything you say is true, on the other hand, as for making sacrifice explicitly part of the public discourse, it probably must appear first as token before it can become as substantial.
It is arguable whether this was a sacrifice at all. People turned off some ‘non-essential’ lights and gadgets, possibly replacing them with fossil fuel derived candles. It is possible for a ’sacrifice’ to be so tokenistic as to be counterproductive. That is especially true when you consider the sacrifice people in the Artic, small island states, and river deltas will be making.
Perhaps we need a really great Don’t Fly This Year movement, with local groups & campaigns?
Convincing people not to fly is amazingly difficult. When I argue that I shouldn’t fly, that choice is constantly attacked by friends of mine who are aware of the scale and seriousness of climate change. Not being able to fly might be the most inconvenient truth of all, at least for the demographic that visits this site.
Yes Earth Hour, soooo ridiculous. My disgust with EC was always directed at the “airhead fraternities” that have little sandwiches and ask people to re-use mugs when they could have lobbied the cafeteria to not use a disgusting amount of styrofoam which, last time I checked, biodegrades on the fourth of never.
Energy use is not about benevolence though, being greedy or being good, or following in the gospel of Saint Suzuki. Greedy corporations can profitably invest in green tech that decreases carbon output or they can deceitfully greenwash products and dump dioxin into the groundwater.
Needs are met with energy. Am I living a less moral life because I use traditional power sources? No. We know the unit of the state and and the MNC will be the most capable of change– our citizen role is to demand that change and to accept the consequences that will indoubtedly come with it…
But I did enjoy inciting the wrath of the eco-warriors by asking for the invention of a solar powered curling iron if they wanted me to forgo the prime saturday night primping hours in the name of their aim. ; )
I’m Doing My Inconsequential Part For The Environment
“Now is the time to take steps toward creating a cleaner environment, however insignificant and useless those steps may be. That’s why I’m doing my own laughably inconsequential part to end pollution, limit damage to our precious ecosystem, and preserve what remains of our planet’s biodiversity for future generations.”
It’s April. Protesters hit the streets to parade against ‘fossil fools.’
April showers are ushering in a new batch of global warming-related protests aimed at “Big Oil” and policies that favor expanded use of coal and natural gas.
Today’s “Fossil Fools” campaign is the brainchild of the Energy Action Coalition, Rainforest Action Network and Rising Tide, grassroots groups that are organizing more than 100 actions against fossil fuels around the world, most in the United States but a few in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
The activists are planning to crash today’s hearing of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which has summoned executives from Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP, Chevron and ConocoPhillips to defend their continued high profits amid high energy prices.
This year’s protests are intended to be slightly more disruptive than in the past, reflecting an increased sense of urgency, Energy Action Coalition spokeswoman Brianna Cayo Cotter said. “This year the youth in our movement have been clamoring, saying ‘We’re sick of talking about climate change; we need to do something about it.’” Energy Action Coalition has been behind a number of campaigns, including last November’s “Step it Up” series of rallies around the country in the name of reducing U.S. emissions 80 percent by 2050 and establishing a moratorium on coal-fired power plants.
Several actions scheduled for today involve Critical Mass bike rides, which started in 1992 in San Francisco as an attempt to reexamine transportation and planning from a non-car perspective and has resulted in hundreds of arrests over the years for blocking traffic. Other protests include rallies against planned coal-fired power plants in Columbia, S.C., and Walla Walla, Wash., as well as tar sands projects in Alberta and coalbed methane development in British Columbia. There is a protest at Washington University in St. Louis against Bank of America’s lending to coal-fired power plant developers, and an assembly on the steps of the Connecticut Capitol.
‘More and more civil disobedience’
“I think it’s just starting; it’s only going to get bigger,” Cotter said. She expects “more and more civil disobedience, particularly among young people,” spurred by frustration at the regulatory process. “They see policies aren’t working to stop coal-fired plants, so they’ll put their bodies on the line,” she added. Rising Tide and other international groups are more willing to engage in direct confrontation, Cotter said.
Rising Tide spokeswoman Monica Vaughan confirmed that people were planning events using “nonviolent civil disobedience, which we refer to as ‘direct action.’”
“People are frustrated with governments and corporations making all these promises but doing nothing to contribute to restructuring” of society to reduce dependence on polluting fossil fuels, Vaughan said. Last month, for example, Rising Tide and Earth First! sponsored a protest of a gas-fired power plant being built by FPL Energy in Palm Beach, Fla., that activists said would produce 12 million tons of CO2 per year. They halted construction work for six hours, and 27 people were arrested.
On the virtual side, the coalition is holding an election to determine the “fossil fool of the year.” Candidates include the chief executive officers of Exxon Mobil, Bank of America, General Motors and Dynegy Corp., as well as Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach for his efforts to boost tar sands production. Other categories include “most inauspicious newcomer,” for which the CEOs of Dominion Power, Marathon Oil, ADM and Penske Automotive are in the running; “outstanding performance in corporate greenwashing”; and “lifetime achievement,” for which voters can choose from West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (D), Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship, Ford Motor Co. Chairman William Clay Ford or the team of President Bush and Vice President Cheney.
As of last night, Bush and Cheney were winning the lifetime achievement race by a landslide, as was ADM’s Patricia Woertz in the newcomer category.
“We probably need more than 14 wedges starting in 2010 to stay below 450 ppm, and we currently don’t have the political will to do more than two or three. In particular, the policies needed to achieve most of the wedges are currently anathema to most conservatives, even the relatively few who actually believe the climate problem warrants strong government action.”