To start off with, let me quote something from
Wikipedia:
According to figures from EnergyAustralia, 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.[8]
Blogger Andrew Landeryou noted that the drop-off in consumption could have been caused by consumers shifting their electricity use to occur before and after the Hour.[9]
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.”[10] In some areas in the Northern Hemisphere, it will be twilight at 8 pm, removing some of the advantages of the event.[11]
By those standards, earth hour hardly seems worth while. Taking six cars off the road for a year doesn’t seem like a lot of savings in power. Statistically, the savings will be quite negligible, if Wikipedia is to be believed.
However, what is most important, is not in the actual savings on the day itself. It is the message, the fact the the whole world is united in one cause, the global awareness of the need to be more environmentally concious, that is of utmost importance.
I had the opportunity to shoot at St. Sebastian School today as they observed Earth Hour a day early. From shut down computer labs, to classes in the dark and even gym class in darkness, the students learnt the importance of being environmentally concious.
As Ms. Boscarino stated, the students learnt that the can make a difference. That people care about what they do for the environment. This alone is worth shutting your lights off for the hour.
Tibet …
Tagged commentary, tibet
Posted in in the news
by Dan Ho
I have never been to Tibet, although I very much want to. Looks like it cannot happen in the near future. Well, nothing is impossible and I’m sure I can find a way ;) but for now, this is one story from Ryan Pyle who documents life in Tibet
I recently saw a very good documentary about the “Rape of a Nation“. It was about the western industrial powers taking away all the natural resources of the African nations and paying poorly for it. From Ryan’s account, that would seem to be what’s happening to the Tibet.
I could see the Chinese “enhancing” Tibet by contributing to it’s infrastructure. However, when settling the Chinese into Tibet is also a policy, then that infrastructure which the Chinese contributes becomes a very rare resource. It will be a resource where priority would of course be given to the Chinese.
Moreover, if Tibetans love their way of life, who’s to say the Chinese are “enhancing” their life in any way by forcing them to change?
Needless to say, when we meddle in the political affairs of another nation, when we judge what is “right” and what is “wrong”, it is purely based on OUR beliefs of what is right and what is wrong. Essentially, those whom we label as the evil ones are wrong simply because their beliefs and values differ from ours.