For those who are unaware of the Earth Hour, let me enlighten you. On the 29th of March (today), there is an event of Earth Hour with the motto, " See the difference that we can make". First started off in Australia in 2007, it has now attracted media and governments from countries around the world to participate. The Earth Hour campaign claims to reduce carbon emission generated from electricity production as well as conserving energy.
Sydney before during Earth Hour in 2007Though it may be regarded as a good deed, criticisms centred on the Hour's being mere tokenism. This is due to the fact that its effectiveness in reducing carbon emissions, whether the significant reduction in electricity consumption reported occurred at all, and questionable coverage of the event by the media conglomerate that sponsored it.
According to figures from EnerhyAustralia, a local utility, mains electricity consumption was 10.2% lower during the Hour than would be expected given the time, weather conditions and past four years' consumption patterns. Although the Herald equated this with "taking 48,613 cars off the road for one hour", Bolt noted that it also represents taking a mere six cars off the road for a year—a negligible practical impact.[10]
The 10.2% figure was itself challenged in a detailed analysis by David Solomon, a student at the University of Chicago, Solomon used eight years of electricity usage data to conclude that the Earth Hour-inspired drop was only 6.33%, and that after other potential factors were taken into account, only 2.10%, "statistically indistinguishable from zero." In some areas in the Northern Hemisphere, it will be twilight at 8 pm, removing some of the advantages of the event.
Thus, there is no concrete evidence of saving electricity in that manner. Enjoy your electricity as much as you want. The best way to reduce carbon emission is to:- Breathe less (human produce carbon dioxide)
- Smoke less
- Drive less
- Do not practise open burning
X'P
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