Earth Hour - Is It Worth the Extensive Publicity?

Frankly, I don’t think Earth Hour is worth the hype around it. It is, at best, a mere gesture with no practical purpose to serve. In fact, the very provision of a separate hour for turning off all the ‘non-essential lights and other electrical appliances’ is contradictory to the conviction of making an endeavour to save power every single day.

The initiative may still hold some relevance in case of the Western world, known for its indulgences; it might make them mindful of the amount of electricity that they use each day. However, in developing nations like India, where several regions experience power cuts for long hours at a stretch and electricity still hasn’t penetrated many regions, an initiative like this makes little sense. In India, barring the Metropolitan cities, we are forced to observe many Earth Hours each day!

Surely, I do not endorse the other extreme stand either - people turning on all the lights and appliances as a mark of protest against Earth Hour – or, for that matter, even the so-called ‘Human Achievement Hour’. What I believe in is a genuine everyday-concern for the planet rather than an hour-long futile exercise in the name of ‘making a change’.

Now, many would argue how Earth Hour is meant to be a symbolic affair to raise awareness about the need to take action on climate change. But, this is not the time to make mere gestures; it is the time to act. Combating climate change won't come about from turning out lights but from reducing carbon emissions.

I agree with Michelle Minton of the Competitive Enterprise Institute when she says-“Environmental challenges will not be solved by turning off our lights and symbolically hiding in the dark. We should be looking to technology and innovation to help solve environmental problems.”