Earth Hour: Take The Next Step

Posted on 24. Mar, 2009 by Ross in Climate Change

On Saturday March 28th, millions of people all around the world are expected to take part in a collective turn-off of lights and electrical appliances at 8:30pm local time in an act of mass climate change awareness dubbed ‘Earth Hour’. The event, conceived by the World Wildlife Fund and now in its third year, declares such action as ‘a vote for the world’ as a way of demonstrating to world leaders and local politicians the depth of feeling behind the fight against global warming and the drive for a more sustainable and environmental world.

The aspirations and the ideals behind the scheme are undoubtedly worthy, but what happens once Earth Hour is over? The lights go back on, the TV sets and games consoles get back into action; everyone gets to sit back and relax safe in the knowledge that they’ve told the politicians what they should do and expecting them to deliver the results.

Politicians can only achieve so much: they’re relying on the public even more than the public is relying on them. The biggest immediate gains to be made in reducing carbon emissions lie in energy efficiency schemes, by replacing antiquated technology with more efficient, energy-saving models; by insulating buildings better; by switching from air-conditioning units to natural ventilation systems. Whether at home or at work, such actions save money as well as carbon: political interference couldn’t make the incentives to switch any clearer.

A more energy-efficient population makes other actions on climate change which do require political action far easier as well. With less energy demands (or less projected energy demands in developing nations), countries need to construct less power stations, enabling renewable energy sources such as wind turbines, wave hubs, hydroelectric dams, solar arrays and bio-gas generators to play a far more substantial role in the energy needs of the country. The less power we all consume, the less need for more coal, oil, gas or nuclear power stations to fulfil base load energy requirements.

So at 9:30pm on Saturday, once you’ve cast your vote for the planet and finished looking at the stars, enjoyed your camp-fire on the beach, completed your late night treasure hunt or whatever else you might have planned, don’t stop. Keep voting. Vote with every energy-efficient light bulb you buy at home. Vote with more loft insulation. Vote at work with energy-saving projects which will save your company money as well as the environment. Vote with everything that you do, and if you feel that your politicians aren’t doing their bit then don’t vote for them.

The planet might need votes, but it needs action more.