Date published: 2007/03/31
The BBC says:
Lights have been turned off across Australia's largest city, Sydney, in a hour-long event aimed at raising awareness of global warming.
At 1930 (0930 GMT) the city's skyline dimmed and normally bright landmarks like the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge went dark.
The so-called Earth Hour is supported by the New South Wales government, environmental groups and businesses.
Sydney hopes the event will make a very big statement on climate change.
No, it makes a very small statement on climate change. Either these lights should be on (for whatever reason) or they should not. Just turning them off for one hour only says that marketing and spin has won out over common sense and integrity. It is gesture politics. Even worse:
Greg Bourne of environmental group WWF, one of the driving forces behind Earth Hour, said the big switch off took months to plan.
The WWF should sack Bourne for wasting so much time and instead give the money to scientists and engineers to do something useful with (e.g. the development of more efficient solar cells, wind turbines, etc.). The world would be a better place.
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