Earth Hour 2009

One billion people are hoped to have participated in Earth Hour this year. So now what?
By Chan Siew Lian

It’s 9pm. I am writing this in a darkened room on my non-illuminated keyboard, which makes typing a real bitch. A mosquito zooms by my ear for the fifth time tonight, and I swear that they are planning a concerted attack on me involving copious amounts of fresh blood. Outside, the streets are a tad blacker than usual—but then again, it could be my imagination.

It’s Earth Hour, and I am joining an estimated 5 million Malaysians in acknowledging the imminent death of the world unless we do something about it. (What this “something” is varies depending on whom you speak to, although today, most would agree it’s turning off your lights from 8.30pm–9.30pm local time.)

Once planet Earth has made its customary 24-hour pirouette, it’s hoped that one out of six billion earthlings would have switched off their lights for an hour and “voted Earth”. The plan is to present these one billion votes to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen later this year, a key meeting which will determine official government policies against global warming and replace the Kyoto Protocol that ends in 2012.

As 829 iconic landmarks including the Sydney Opera House, Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, Taiwan 101 and our very own Petronas Twin Towers power down their lights, it’s certainly hoped that governments around the world will equally throw in long-term support for action against global warming, notably the United States, which has signed but not ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

The role of new media
A nagging issue is that measuring the exact number of people who participated in Earth Hour would be a shot in the dark, no pun intended. It could be one billion, or it could be half a billion. Do we include those who live out in jungles and remote areas, who don’t have electricity anyway? I don’t know. Still, if you follow the Earth Hour feeds on Twitter, you’d realise just how global and massive this movement has become. People are posting pictures and videos of their Earth Hour activities. Google has a link about Earth Hour on its homepage. Or you could be amongst the 700,000+ who’ve joined the Earth Hour Facebook group. Truth is, this level of awareness couldn’t have happened without the Internet and social media playing a pivotal role.

However, being aware that you have to turn off your lights for an hour today vs. being aware of climate change issues are two completely separate things. The challenge is how to turn a fashion statement (it’s cool to save the world) into something actionable that will actually reduce our carbon footprint and promote sustainable living. For one, planning a romantic dinner by candlelight may not be the best way to celebrate Earth Hour, as more CO2 gasses may be released. Moving beyond the symbolism of that light switch, it’s these little things we should be talking about next.