Earth Hour 2010, which took place on Saturday 27th March at 8.30pm (local time), is a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community throughout the world. It is a call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to Asia to the Americas will stand in darkness. People across the world from all walks of life will turn off their lights and join together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.
Earth Hour has done a lot to raise awareness of climate change issues. But there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s all about giving people a voice on the future of our planet and working together to create a sustainable low carbon future for our planet. But can we really conclude that one day in a year can make such a remarkable difference?
Let us look at some of the major events in India that have been unaffected despite the propagation of this noble idea called ‘Earth Hour’:
1. The Indian Premiere League (IPL)
IPL is definitely one of the major contributors to the failure of the EH 2010. This season of IPL has showcased some of the best talents in India as well as that around the world. Almost every kid and grown-up can be seen glued to the TV set, admiring their favorite cricketers, in the evening during the telecast of the IPL matches. Do you really think that an ardent cricket fan from Punjab or Kolkata would think of switching off the TV set during a Kings versus Knight Riders game for EH 2010? I think not!
Why doesn’t the BCCI think of organizing day matches so that we can use the natural daylight, and thus save a lot of money as well as power on lighting? Don’t they think this would work? Or do they think that this isn’t such a good idea ‘cos it would really affect the TRPs?
What went wrong here? Is there a glaring defect in our cultural values that we rate cricket as a supreme part of our life? Or is it that we’re just too casual about this whole EH 2010 experience? These questions are based on the assumption that there ‘is’ enough awareness about the global cause in the first place!
2. Shopping malls
One of the major power guzzlers are shopping malls. These malls are responsible for a major part of a city’s power consumption. The development of a city is showcased by the number of malls it sports. But a higher number of malls would inevitably mean a higher consumption of electricity (Not to mention the higher prices as well!).
A humble attempt made by these malls was to close the day by 11PM. This was a mere excuse to show that they are doing their bit in fighting the climatic change. But do you really think that this is enough? Are these malls really required? Whatever happened to the old-fashioned way of life when we used to visit small shops and bazaars to buy items of daily use?
According to people in the Metros, Malls are not just meant for shopping; they are also a hang-out place for most teenagers and employed people alike. A testimony to this fact is a growing number of stalls in the food courts and the exorbitant rates charged by them to their customers.
3. Power cuts!
EH 2010 asked people to turn off the lights and appliances for an hour (i.e. 8:30-9:30PM). A good attempt indeed, but are the people, from places like Thane, Dombivli, Kalyan etc. in Mumbai, in a position to appreciate the effort?
The average period for the daily power cut is approx. 4-6hrs! This means that these people practically spend about a third of third day in darkness without TV, A/Cs or fans. Usually these power cuts are experienced during the mornings and the afternoon. Most of these people live in rented flats or just aren’t earning enough to own an Air-conditioner. Now consider this, the average temperature during the day is 28°C and not everyone can afford the luxury of eating out on more than a day in the week; do you really feel a person living in such conditions will participate in the EH by switching off the lights for an hour? If you answered this with a “YES” then you probably need a reality check.
We cannot expect everyone to take a “Saving power is my personal responsibility” oath, but we can possibly start with the major contributors (Major Power consumers) and then gradually reaching out to the masses by means of proper advertisements and / or suitable incentives.
Does Earth Hour really help India conserve energy? What do you think?
