The second annual Earth Hour will be observed Saturday, March 27, 2010, at 8:30 p.m. local time. According to the official website for earth hour, as people all around the world turn off their lights during a scheduled hour, a blackout “will once again cascade around the globe, from New Zealand to Hawaii” The Los Angeles Times calls Earth Hour “the world’s largest global climate change initiative.” Earth Hour, says the Times, is a “global call to action . . . a call to stand up and take responsibility.”
Earth Hour is easy for all
In the most basic sense, Earth hour’s call to action is the least we can do. Being a part of Earth Hour doesn’t mean we need to change our lives by actually being responsible for the environment. All we need to do is turn off the lights for an hour.
Shop, donate, borrow money
It will not cost you anything to participate; however, Earth Hour sells gear on their official website to anyone who believes this might help stop climate change. Also, if you think it will help the environment, you may donate on their website money directly to Earth Hour. At the time of this writing, Earth Hour Gear was not yet available, but donations can be made now, so it’s not too early to fill out a personal loan application if you need a loan to do your part for Earth Hour.
Climate Change in a basic form
The Earth Hour website suggests that effects of climate change are shown in all of the US. Alaska has warmed two times as fast as the rest of the United States. Spring snowmelt is earlier, sea ice is reduced, glaciers are retreating and permafrost is thawing. In the Northwest, Water supplies are being strained while erosion is increasing because winters are wetter while summers are dryer. In the Southwest, droughts are becoming more of a concern because water supplies are more scarce.
In the Midwest, lake ice is reduced while downpours are twice as frequent as they were 100 years ago. In the Northeast there is less snow and more rain. In the Southeast there are more hurricanes, higher winds, more storm surges, increased air temperatures, and greater rainfall. On the islands and coastlines, where there are more sensitive impacts of climate change, wetlands are drowning, the man-made environment is threatened, shorelines are eroding, and sea levels are rising.
Taking a real stance doesn’t have to be hard
It makes sense to take a stance about global climate change, but taking responsibility for the problem requires more than an annual hour-long blackout ritual. It also doesn’t mean you have to live in a teepee without electricity of running water.
A person might ride a bike on occasion instead of driving a car, purchase fewer wasteful and unnecessary products, or choose foods that require less fossil fuel energy to produce.There’s nothing to stop people from switching off the lights for Earth Hour while making real changes, too; except, of course, that change is hard and flipping a switch is easy.