A Critical Evaluation of Earth Hour: Benefits and Limitations

This essay critically examines the Earth Hour initiative, a global conservation movement organized by WWF, where individuals switch off lights for an hour to symbolize their commitment to the planet's future. The essay argues that Earth Hour's impact is limited, primarily due to its symbolic nature and minimal effect on overall energy consumption and carbon emissions. It highlights that switching off lights for one hour has negligible impact on the overall carbon footprint compared to the continuous energy usage throughout the year. The essay also points out that the reliance on traditional lighting sources during Earth Hour can increase carbon emissions and that modern energy-efficient bulbs are not the primary source of carbon emissions. Ultimately, the essay concludes that while Earth Hour may garner media attention, it is not an effective long-term solution, and more impactful strategies are needed to address environmental challenges.

The whole idea of earth hours is not too
bright

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Whole idea of earth hours is not too bright
Earth hour is a global conservation movement. This interesting movement is run by
WWF. In this every year hundreds of millions of individuals all across the globe in more than
7000 cities in more than 180 nations takes part in this event (Jacobsen, 2011). This is a kind
of movement in which people living in these cities switches off the lights for 60 minutes
which starts at 8:30 pm. It is a symbolic gesture towards solidarity to illustrate that the people
care about the future of the planet. This year Australia has faced biggest nature related
challenges due to which WWF has planned that this year the Earth Hour will organise in
Australia so that government of Australia understands that they will have to act fast if they
aim to save the planet. In this essay we will see that why the idea of earth hour is not too
bright.
The organisers of this event has a say that it is an event that is being run as an act of
symbolism but this is a much bigger problem also states that it remained just as an act of
symbolism. Nothing major changed due to it. This can be understood in terms of the fact that
switching off lights just for one hour will do nothing. It won’t change anything as the rest
8759 hours people will need these lights (Gyamfi & Krumdieck, 2011). Lights were switched
off to reduce the carbon emission but it is to be understood that people need lights for living
their lives. The appliances that they use cannot run without electricity. So the lights cannot be
the problem and switching it off for just one hour will not help in serving any of the cause.
Even if the people all across the world switches off their lights for one hour the amount of
reduction in carbon emission from the power plants all across the globe will be equal to the
amount of Carbon Dioxide that is emitted in China in just four minutes (Perry. 2013).
Even some of the researches suggests that decline of the electricity consumption will
not reduce the emission in all over the world. This is because once the electricity is restored
there will be requirement of more amount of coal to be fuelled in grids. It is also the fact that
people do not completely switch off their energy use for one hour as they just turn off the
lights and essential appliances are still working in that hour too (Khan & Borgstrom-Hansson,
2016). Switching off the bulbs will not reduce the carbon emission as the modern day bulbs
have become highly energy efficient. It is also the fact that not everyone switches off the
lights in the cities hence the energy producing grids does not go off. So it is just the waste of
time of the people.

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At the same time during the light off period people generally uses traditional lamps or
candles that causes hundred times more carbon emission than what could be caused by the
incandescent light bulbs. If the earth hours will be increased then the chances that more and
more people will use traditional fuel increases. This will enhance the air pollution. This even
causes many kinds of health hazards for the people. Life in the 21st century is not possible
without electricity especially when people also work during the night (Sison, 2013).
Electricity is acting as a source of productive lives even after sunset. In the time when the
new sources of electricity are being found that produces less carbon emission this is not the
movement that will help the world in the long term. However the major focus should on the
energy that is produced through atomic energy.
In conclusion it can be said that switching off lights might take some space in the
media and can be the headline for one day but it is not a very bright idea that could change
anything. It is also because people switches turns off light for one hour but rom the next day
they are using even more amount of electricity. In future this need is going to increase which
cannot be neglected. This will make this idea of earth hour to be just an event that happens in
different parts of the world (Handwerk, 2011). It is necessary that organisers should come up
with some kind of idea that does not takes us back and at the same time influence the minds
of people so that present and future challenges are met.

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References
Gyamfi, S., & Krumdieck, S. (2011). Price, environment and security: Exploring multi-modal
motivation in voluntary residential peak demand response. Energy Policy, 39(5),
2993-3004.
Handwerk, B. (2011). Earth Hour Tonight: What Time? What's the Point?. Retrieved from:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/3/110326-earth-hour-tonight-what-
time-science-world-environment-lights-dark/
Jacobsen, G. D. (2011). The Al Gore effect: an inconvenient truth and voluntary carbon
offsets. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 61(1), 67-78.
Khan, F., & Borgstrom-Hansson, C. (2016). Using the Earth Hour City Challenge to identify
high leverage points for footprint reduction in cities. Journal of cleaner
production, 123, 42-44.
Perry. M.J. (2013). Earth Hour is a colossal waste of time and energy; instead, celebrate
‘Human Achievement Hour’ this Saturday. Retrieved from:
https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/earth-hour-is-a-colossal-waste-of-time-and-energy-
instead-celebrate-human-achievement-hour-this-saturday/
Sison, M. (2013). Strategic climate change campaigns: A case study of earth hour. In The
annual meeting of the International Communication Association (pp. 1-24).
International Communication Association.