Earth Hour 2011

It was Earth Hour 2011 yesterday night from 8.30pm to 9.30pm. I was in Midvalley at that time having my dinner and about to go home by bus (I went there by bus). As far as I'm concerned, the majority of the shops/tenants there did not really observe Earth Hour 2011. And I don't really blame them for not observing Earth Hour anyway

Here's why:
Earth Hour is only a publicity stunt to create awareness. It has one of the largest impact to create awareness of the need to conserve energy, either for individuals like you and me or for individuals to pressure the government to do something about the need to conserve energy (some countries in the rich world has parties that goes by the theme of Green). But if you look at the effect of Earth Hour on the environment, it is pathetic. I'll show you why in the calculations below:

There are 8760 (24 hours * 365 days) hours in in one year
We are only switching off our lights for 1 hour every year
So, the direct impact of Earth Hour to the environment is 0.0114155% (1 hour /8760 hours * 100%)
Which also means that the impact of Earth Hour is almost negligible

How can we make a difference?
1. The first and most important way to make a difference is to drive less and take public transport more. I know that the public transport system in Malaysia is just plain bad. And the government lacks the initiative to improve it because we have a national carmaker and a national petroleum company to feed. However, it would make a minor difference if we just drive less and try to take the public transport more often. It also saves you some money as well. As a large group of people, we will be able to reduce carbon dioxide emission (not much but the impact will still be greater than Earth Hour)

I remember when there was a time when petrol price was RM2.70 per litre not too long ago in the distant past, there was less cars on the road compared to when it was less than RM2.00. It was good for the environment

2. The second way that you can make a difference is to pressure your government to clean up its act, namely establish a policy to control emissions. I have heard of many methods that are used by governments especially in the European Union on how to control emissions. One of the many would be to encourage the use fuel-efficient cars instead of the gas-guzzling cars. Another method that the government can control emissions using policies is through the establishment of clean manufacturing regulations and the enforcement of it.

Hence, as voters you deserve the right to vote for the government that you put in office. It is your right and please exercise your right in voting. You can make a difference

My thought
I would not observe Earth Hour not because of the fact that I'm a pollutant. It's just that I don't see it necessary to observe Earth Hour because the direct impact on the environment is just too minute. It would be more beneficial for us to reduce our consumption of energy throughout the year instead of just reducing our consumption of energy for 1 hour of the year and leaving the lights on for the rest of of the yeare