What’s the point of Earth hour?
By Fleur
@Fleura (30392)
United Kingdom
October 19, 2021 3:50am CST
A comment by @Adie04 prompted me to write this.
Earth Hour was started as a symbolic event, turning the lights off for an hour on one particular day of the year (last Saturday of March) to draw attention to the state of the Earth and to inspire people to do something about it. I understand that.
But simply turning off the lights for an hour and then patting yourself on the back that you have done something meaningful seems to me to be pretty pointless.
I mean seriously - turning the electricity off for one hour, then on again for the other 8,759 hours in a year - does anyone really think that is going to make a difference?
Many people, businesses and big companies get praised for turning off their lights for Earth hour, while others who don’t have unnecessary lights on in the first place and so can’t turn them off for Earth hour, get no credit.
Every hour is Earth hour, we don’t have anywhere else to live and we should be making an effort every hour!
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9 people like this
9 responses
@LadyDuck (471500)
• Switzerland
19 Oct 21
Most companies waste electricity, I see many office buildings with lights on even when people are not inside working. I think we can do a lot more than turning off the lights one hour per year. We could turn off electricity during some hours during the night, also the street lights could have a "sensor" so that they light on ONLY when cars are passing. They stay on all the night for a couple of cars in this area.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471500)
• Switzerland
20 Oct 21
@Fleura You are right, but how many pedestrians there are outside in the streets after midnight?
I see no one here. We have lights on a secondary road, when the sun sets that road is deserted.
I wonder why they installed street lights there, a waste of tax money.
1 person likes this
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
19 Oct 21
At best, it may be a useful tool for raising awareness. At worst, though, it is pretty much as you said.
The fact that the IPCC report didn't have any noticeable impact outside of certain circles is pretty depressing. It is a very grim look at where we're headed, and that is a conservatively written report arrived at by consensus.
1 person likes this
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
19 Oct 21
@Fleura The difference, of course, is that this time we are looking at the potential for planetary collapse rather than the loss of an individual civilization. 
1 person likes this
@allknowing (136424)
• India
20 Oct 21
It is symbolic and a kind of a reminder. It may leave an impact.
1 person likes this
@ihasaquestion (8276)
•
19 Oct 21
I guess it's pretty pointless unless we make it a habit to be conscientious and save electricity whenever necessary.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (30392)
• United Kingdom
19 Oct 21
Indeed, one hour achieves nothing, turning off the electricity when not needed every day is a lot more useful.
It annoys me that some big companies get lots of credit for taking part in Earth hour, and yet all the rest of the time they leave lights in their office blocks all night long, hundreds of computers and monitors permanently on standby using power, all completely unnecessary and wasteful.
