I’m reading everywhere about Earth Hour all of a sudden. At first I was like OK we’ve downgraded Earth Day to just one hour. Now, that’s progress but it turns out that we still have all 24 hours of Earth Day but that wasn’t enough so now we have an extra Earth Hour added on. It’s kind of like Christmas in July for lunatics, I guess.
To be honest, I’d never heard a thing about it before a few days ago but now it’s everywhere. I read that it’s an international event organised by the WWF. So I asked myself why the heck do a bunch of wrestlers care so much about the environment but it turns out that WWF actually stands for the World Wide Fund for Nature or the World Wildlife Fund or some such ridiculousness like that. Either way I’d probably rather hang out with the wrestlers.
But I read the same line everywhere that while everyone agrees that turning off their lights won’t really do all that much for the environment it will…come on repeat after me…”raise awareness.”
Is it possible that there’s anybody out there who’s not aware of the supposed effects of global warming/climate change/2012/aerosol pollution/ CO2 emissions/cow flatulence/volcanic eruptions?
I’m aware. You’re aware. Anyone with a television or radio is aware and if someone doesn’t have a television or radio then they’re not the problem anyway. So can we cut it out now?
At what point do we get to say that awareness has been raised. Mission Accomplished. We’re done. Everyone’s so completely aware that we’re bored to death of our awareness.
You know how in polls if you ask the stupidest question ever like ‘How many fingers does the normal person have?’ you’ll get like three percent of the people who are ‘undecided.’ Well, I don’t think you’d get that high a number of undecideds for global warming/climate change. Anyone who’s undecided is just saying that because the girl asking the poll question sounds cute over the phone and the weird guy who answered the phone just wants to keep talking.
So a note to all the climate alarmists: It’s not that we’re undecided. It’s not that we’re unaware. We just don’t believe you.
Earth Hour will next take place on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm, local time. I would live blog it just to write about all the lights I’m turning on in my house at that exact moment but I think I’ll be on the New Jersey Turnpike heading up to see my family in New York. But I’ll be sure to have my brights on.
March 28, 2009 at 4:02 am
This is worth dragging my Christmas lights out of storage for.
March 28, 2009 at 4:04 am
Matthew,
I don’t get it. Why don’t you believe that large quantities of CO2 can have a deletorious impact on the long-scale climate of the Earth? Maybe there is a case to be made that it in fact is not yet doing so, or perhaps is only doing so at such a miniscule rate as to be unworthy of any great concern, but it a scientific fact that it has the capacity to raise global temperatures in the long term.
It is like driving recklessly and using as an excuse that you haven’t necessarily killed anybody yet; why take the chance? Why not just try to convert to cleaner fuels now to avoid a problem down the line, even if (as you claim) the problem is not already upon us?
~cmpt
March 28, 2009 at 4:33 am
Every light in the house goes on at 8:30 while I cook up some red meat on my charcoal grill.
March 28, 2009 at 4:58 am
Usually, my deck-swimming pool lights are not on, but I’m with you! At 8:30 PM tomorrow night I will turn these lights on, in fact I will turn them on all night until morning.
Woudl it be fun if all of us take a picture of our house with the lights on and post them?
March 28, 2009 at 7:56 am
I love CMR but I agree with Christopher Michael. What’s the point of this act of defiance?
I agree that environmental fanaticism is bad but we are supposed to be good stewards of our resources, and that involves not wasting electricity.
Our Family said:
“Usually, my deck-swimming pool lights are not on, but I’m with you! At 8:30 PM tomorrow night I will turn these lights on, in fact I will turn them on all night until morning.”
Why, why, why?!
Whether or not you believe CO2 emissions cause climate change, we still have no excuse to waste.
March 28, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Guys,
Why? Because it’s funny.
And the gaia worshiping, pantheist nuts even admit that it won’t do a thing for the environment. They’re raising awareness.
We’re aware already!
March 28, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Christopher Michael,
If your beloved Villanova Pussycats play at 8:30 will you turn them off?
March 28, 2009 at 12:41 pm
World Wrestling Federation, that’s funny!
We’ll be with you at 8:30. With six kids in the house I’m sure we can get every light, computer and television on in the house, as they never turn them off anyway.
March 28, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Earth Worship gives me a rash.
I am so sick of the hype and the fear-mongering. When someone provides clear, concise and unchallenged evidence that the Earth is really in a state of man-made distress, I’ll worry. I always enjoy having fun with people and their little fanaticisms. I’m just not going to flip my life upside down because Algore says so. Yep, I am one of those bitter clingers….my lights will be on too. I am thinking of it as a light of rational thought in the dark green of global hysteria 🙂
March 28, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Global warming? Here in North Texas it’s currently eight o’clock in the morning and we’re getting snow. Not much but hey, this isn’t supposed to happen in an area where the normal temp this time of year is in the 70’s.
My lights will definetly be on!
March 28, 2009 at 1:11 pm
I knew my husband left the Christmas lights up for a reason!!
March 28, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Wall Street Journal had this to say:
Reader, if you are against global-warming hysteria, high taxes, socialized medicine and a weak foreign policy, Sunday is your day. Show how you feel about the issues by turning on your lights in the evening and leaving them on until you go to bed. If you go out for a drive after dark, make sure you turn your headlights on too.
March 28, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Why 8:30? For an hour? Why not start at 9:00? Weird. Must be some sort of effete cocktail hour thing, no?
Anyway, it’s what my mom always called “mittens for the starving.”
At 8:30 hubby and I will be sharing a pizza in front of a movie. With lights on: we need to see what we’re eating, dontcha know!
March 28, 2009 at 2:15 pm
I’ve never heard of this before this year, but I have a friend who did it last year. She said it took her at least a quarter of the hour just to find and turn off everything electric. It was an eye-opener to see how dependent we are on electricity and how much of it isn’t really necessary. Completely apart from climate change issues, do I really want to be paying just to keep the digital clock on my microwave running? Or chargers empty and ready to charge when I only need them once a week? For the record, all my Christmas lights are solar 🙂
March 28, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Well, I must say I don’t agree with you about the global warming, but I think this idea of turning the lights off for an hour is quite stupid. What will happen to the power grid if everyone turns their lights and other electric appliances on at exactly the same time when the hour is over?
Last I heard, they are also turning street lights off for an hour where I’m living (not US).
March 28, 2009 at 3:29 pm
They should make earth hour from 3am to 4am. The lights are already off, and it gets the attention it deserves: sleeping through it.
March 28, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Ah, thank you for alerting me. I will do my best to turn on as many lights as I can.
March 29, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Get with the times, dude. WWF was so 1990’s. It’s tthe WWE now. This millenia they stopped pretending to be a sports “federation” and just admit they are into entertainment.
Gotta wonder how many of the college folks who are turning off their lights an’ puters n such will spend the time lighten up a doobie to pass the time?
March 30, 2009 at 2:01 pm
My big question is thus… Once he invented the internet… then he invents global warming… what’s next??? please, please, please let it be a house that cleans itself!!!!!
March 31, 2009 at 12:33 am
Oh my god. I can’t believe this shit.