Did Earth Hour Make A Difference?

Posted on 31. Mar, 2009 by Ross in Climate Change

Did the hype match the result? Did a billion people turn off their lights for climate change? Will the politicians listen to the action?

WWF International Director General James Leape certainly thinks so. “Earth Hour 2009 was an incredible success Earth Hour signals a real desire from people all over the world for urgent action on climate change, and a mandate for the world’s leaders to secure a new deal in Copenhagen that defines an effective global response.”

The pictures from the global event certainly look impressive at first glance. Looking past the dimmed monuments around the world, though, in most of the pictures not much else seems to change. Tops of skyscrapers fade, landmarks vanish but ordinary dwellings stay lit up like Christmas trees. So just how many people actually bothered to get involved?

The event seems to have made for a great PR stunt for companies and governments eager to display their green credentials, but surely many of those office towers should have the lights turned off after hours anyway? Whilst a lot of internet chatter and hype surrounding the event, the mainstream media remained largely cynical about Earth Hour and failed to help spark the public’s attention in many countries. The event coinciding with a new moon probably didn’t help either except for those people whose only goal that night was to see the stars: other potential activities were surely hampered by the extra level of darkness.

Can Earth Hour make more of a difference in future, or is it held back by the lack of ambition behind the sacrifice it asks people to make? Does it encourage people to look to their politicians for answers when they themselves are the true agents of change? Will the event ever manage to truly raise public awareness when its’ goals fail to win the traditional media onside?

Better luck next time, Earth Hour.

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