Earth Hour 2010 Tonight!

[Fearless]

Earth Hour - 8.30 pm, Saturday 27 March 2010

I am not sure if anyone has mentioned it anywhere but I seem to only just noticed the Earth Hour 2010 global event for tonight!

I have to read more into it, not sure how I missed it but on the surface I think it is a great awareness raising idea... I just hope it is not dominated by commercial interests or rent-a-celebrity spokespeople (i.e. John Travolta on climate change with his personal jet taxis)

Some might be interested... apologies if this is a repost (please let me know):

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The official website:
http://www.earthhour.org.au/

I have been a bit negatively opinionated in the past on this issue but I must admit I am trying to learn more about the facts.

[atheist_angel]

That's tonight, isn't it?

[Logic]

Sitting here in the dark, except we are cheating cause we have the footy on. I think it can't hurt to raise the issue in peoples minds, it might even make a few more turn off unnecessary lights. (from my iPhone as computer is off)

[davo]

doh missed it, I will turn off the lights in my house an hour early to make up for it ;)

gnight all

[BPobjie]

OK, so global warming is finished now, right?

[Fearless]

Is that sarcasm? he he

[Fearless]

I guess many of us might be trying to do the right thing generally, but I think there is a good chance as tacky and commercialised as it might seem, if it changes the habits of many around the world then it's surely worth it?

[Fearless]

I agree with your point but how else might you try to raise awareness on such a large scale?

Many as you imply will consider their bit is done for the year, but even if one nation gets inspired enough to keep working towards change based on this event then I think it's worth while.

Might seem insignificant now but if they keep it up and raise the issue more and more each year then maybe it has merit (long term).

Well, I'd like to hope so.

[Fearless]

Better than nothing maybe? :p

From what I read they do more than just the hour lights out thing... this is just an awareness raising exercise... the rest of their efforts go into encouraging global leaders (governments and companies) to help make change.

http://www.news.com.au/national/lights-go-out-worldwide-for-earth-hour/story-e6frfkvr-1225846443119?from=igoogle+gadget+compact+news_rss

Ahh well, I guess skepticism is going to be a factor in most things. I still cant knock the efforts even if the hour long event seems pointless... as an awareness thing I think it is very successful. Their long term focus is more the point.

[BPobjie]

Some causes are suited to "awareness-raising" and some are not. Climate change is not. Everyone is already aware of it. What needs to happen is convincing people that it's real, and Earth Hour sure won't do that - it only makes the denialists more determined to keep fighting against action.

The purpose of Earth Hour is to inflate people's egos and allow them to kid themselves they're doing something constructive.

[Praxis]

We were sitting in the cinema, watching The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (HIGHLY recommended BTW!). They didn't turn the movie off but we were sitting in the dark ;)

[Fearless]

The purpose of Earth Hour is to inflate people's egos and allow them to kid themselves they're doing something constructive.

Ok complete negatives aside, what would you suggest to try and change attitudes around the world on the issues?

[Caio]

Ok complete negatives aside, what would you suggest to try and change attitudes around the world on the issues?

You don't have to change everybody's mind, just the people with the power to make the changes happen. The Copenhagen thingy is a fantastic idea; everybody get together and work out a global solution to a global problem. But consecutive inept governments consistently fail to get anything done.
We need to put massive amounts of pressure on the big polluters and China to do something, then the rest of the world will follow. We need to break our dependency on the middle eastern oil and we need the motor vehicle industry to start taking the issue seriously, as it is they are doing the bare minimum to maximize profit while pretending to do something.

So; Big Government action ---> Policy Changes ---> Results ---> screwed anyway because runaway climate change effects have already started. Hopefully we can do something before that last part happens...

[Fearless]

Ok caio, that's fair enough but do you think global events like this help put pressure on the stubborn nations? Especially if their people are showing interest?

I am not disagreeing with you at all, I just don't see Earth hour as negatively as some others do.

[nari]

I'm fence sitting on Earth hour.
It will make some think about the future power failures that are bound to happen frequently and pick up on an inconvenient truth.
Others won't care and leave lights on anyway for convenience.
On a different tangent, Melbourne apparently blacked out only a third of itself. Dunno about these Mexicans...;)

nari

[kazzaqld]

I was more enthused in previous years. :o

We did turn the lights off but not the computers or TV as we'd done in previous years.

I do try and be careful with power consumption all the time - it's too expensive not to :eek:

[TÐöer]

I was out during that time. So no earth hour for me :P

I have to agree with fearless, i've heard people ask, what's the point of turning off the lights? It's not going to make any difference. I believe that the sole purpose was for awareness. First of all, it helps to remind us that we are facing this problem. Just like world AIDS day. Sometimes out of sight means out of mind, this is why we need this kind of events.

Secondly, it prompts the neighbours to ask, why is everybody's lights off? Then they'd learn more about it.

Thirdly, it shows how seriously we are taking the matter.

I believe if we do not hold events like these, people will soon forget. What ever was proposed will soon be abandoned, and people in power won't feel the slightest pressure to do anything.

The failure of the campaign was probably, the lack of a disclaimer that its purpose was for awareness only.

[gruber]

I read in a newspaper (cant remember which one) that energy consumption was 1.9% higher during earth hour:rolleyes:

[Fearless]

I read in a newspaper (cant remember which one) that energy consumption was 1.9% higher during earth hour:rolleyes:

Globally? I would be interested to see that report. In fact I would even be tempted to write them a letter if that could be proven to ask them if their strategy needs a review.

I'll have a poke around later.

[TÐöer]

I'm just guessing, but I think using candles and other light source is more detrimental to the environment. The best option is for everybody to sleep early. :P

Since we can't do that, that's why I mentioned that its a population problem. Perhaps we are over populated but just don't realise it. :confused:

[gruber]

Globally?


The Hunter valley

[wolty]

I'm just guessing, but I think using candles and other light source is more detrimental to the environment. The best option is for everybody to sleep early. :P

Since we can't do that, that's why I mentioned that its a population problem. Perhaps we are over populated but just don't realise it. :confused:


You know the problem with all this?

You turn the lights out and people make more babies.

What else would you do with the lights out? Especially with some nice candles, some red wine, candlelit dinner, roses, nice meal, oh dear, need to go lie down.:D

[Caio]

I don't know about earth hour. While not useless, no public awareness campaign about the shit were doing to our planet can be doing any serious harm, but at the same time we have a populace which just doesn't seem to care...and not just about climate change.
The government is going to jack up prices for gas, water and electricity because of the own incompetence and mismanagement, now they want us to pay for it, again, so they can "fix it". In the news one week, gone the next. We get riled up about it, then we just seem to get over it. In any other country i would imagine that people would get pissed off about it and demand that the government justify their actions, we're just too lazy.
Given our lack of pressure on immediate issues like this, how can we be expected to care about what is going to be a gradual change, which will only come into effect about 30 years from now at the earliest! (sort of).
What we need is a "get involved campaign", where people actually understand the issues at hand and demand action on them.
Earth hour is more of a publicity stunt to say "hey we care" by the government, while going through the minimum of effort. People know that global warming is happening, but i bet that a random survey of the public would show that they don't understand the how and why behind the issue. They would see it as having only a mild effect on the climate.
What is lacking is the translation of the message of Earth hour into real positive action by the population, so for this reason i don't see it as being that effective. Now weather this is a problem with the campaign or the populace...its probable the populace.

[TÐöer]

You know the problem with all this?

You turn the lights out and people make more babies.

What else would you do with the lights out? Especially with some nice candles, some red wine, candlelit dinner, roses, nice meal, oh dear, need to go lie down.:D

Lol, a problem indeed. :D