The Fire Service has issued a warning about the dangers of candles during earth hour.
This makes me wonder:
* What impact will all those candles have on carbon emissions?
* Does this mean that earth hour will literally generate more heat than light?
* Is earth hour, like many other sacrifices to the green gods, really just smoke and mirrors?
In support of the last question, I read somewhere yesterday (but can’t find the link anymore) that several businesses which supported earth hour actually increased their carbon emissions and their association with the cause was just greenwash. *
So the lights in my house will be on or off as normal tonight because I’m not interested in campaigns based on emotion rather than science and feel good efforts which at best do nothing and may even make the problem worse.
Apropos of this:
Not PC has something to keep in mind during earth hour
Whaleoil spots the idiots
No Minister has some earth hour fun
UPDATE:
Keeping Stock is keeping his lights on from which I learned about M& M and their anti-earth hour.
Mickey Muses has hot news on hot tips on hot air.
UPDATE 2: * the bit about businesses increasing emissions was from The Age via Quote Unquote:
An analysis of the key sponsors of Earth Hour (among them Fairfax Media, owner of The Sunday Age) reveals that most have reported increased emissions in their most recent figures.
Just as I said – it’s greenwash and it’s inciting PM of NZ to use even more fuel and electricity.
Homepaddock 
From The Courier Timaru edition 26 March p5 “Woodbury event to mark Earth Hour” (not online)
“At 8.30 we will switch off the lights and gather around a bonfire. There will be time for discussion and reflection and maybe a bit of singing,” Mr Polman said.
“we’re asking people to bring a torch, storm lantern or a tealight in a glass jar, and to switch off the lights and appliances before they leave home.”
Totally bizarre isn’t it! Carbon emissions from bonfire? Industrial pollutants from batteries? I’m not even going to comment on the noise pollution from many verses of Kumbayah. None of this seems to count as much as the futile gesture of switching off relatively clean electrical incandescent bulbs and bathing in the glow of self-righteousness instead. No wonder the Green party keeps exceeding 5%.
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“I read somewhere yesterday (but can’t find the link anymore) that several businesses which supported earth hour actually increased their carbon emissions”
You might have read it here, he suggested modestly:
http://quoteunquotenz.blogspot.com/2009/03/earth-hour.html
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PS: Where I live people throughout the region are being encouraged to support Earth Hour by attending Nightglow, an event at Waikato University. The promotional material says that the main carpark has 5000 spaces, and there are two other carparks for when it is full. What a great way to reduce emissions.
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What a hoot Stephen – thousands of cars driving to a place to save the planet – I love it!
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Modern candles are made from parrafin wax – ie oil. It is quite laughable all these greenies giving up their clean hydro-electricity to burn oil to save the planet.
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And they’re mainly made in China. What’s the bet the same people who would be right behind protectionist “Buy NZ Made” campaigns are the ones pushing for people to give up their NZ made electricity to burn Chinese candles tonight?
More here:
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I had heard of Earth Hour and thought of it as a pre-earth day celebration. I didn’t have a feeling for it one way or another but now that I’ve read this post, I do wonder, whats the point of lighting all those candles for one hour. I wonder how long would power would have to be off for it to be worth burning candles or even battery power.
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[…] by candle light Just as I suspected when I suggested earth hour is greenwash, the attempts to reduce carbon emissions may in fact increase […]
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