On Saturday, March 27, 8:30 p.m. local time, the second official Earth Hour will be observed. The official website for Earth Hour suggest that as people turn off their lights during a scheduled time, a blackout “will once again cascade around the globe, from New Zealand to Hawaii.” The Los Angeles Times reffers to as 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
Earth Hour’s call to action is the least we can do in the most basic sense of the word. Taking part in Earth Hour doesn’t mean we have to actually take responsibility for the environment by changing any part of the way we live or consume. All we need to do is turn off the lights for an hour.
Shop, donate, borrow money
It won’t expense you anything; however, anyone who thinks buying merchandise will stop Global Climate Change can shop for Earth Hour gear on their website. Additionally, if you believe it will make the environment better, you may donate cash directly to Earth Hour online also. Right now Earth Hour Gear is not available, but you may nevertheless donate, so go ahead and start your personal loan application if you need a loan to help do your part in Earth Hour.
Climate Change in a basic form
The Earth Hour website implies that effects of climate change are found in all of the US. Alaska’s climate has warmed twice as fast as the mainland United States. Snowmelt for spring is earlier, ice within the sea is reducing, and glaciers are retreating while permafrost is thawing. In the Northwest, winters are becoming wetter when summers are becoming dryer and water supplies are becoming strained when erosion is increasing. In the Southwest, water supplies are becoming increasingly scarce and droughts are a significant concern.
In the Midwest, downpours are twice as frequent as they were a hundred years ago when lake ice is being reduced. Within the Northeast there is less snow and a lot more rain. In the Southeast there are more huge storm surges, greater rainfall, higher winds, increased air temperatures, and additional hurricanes. On the islands and coastlines, where there are additional sensitive areas to climate change, wetlands are drowning, the man-made environment is threatened, shorelines are eroding, and sea levels are rising.
Taking a stance doesn’t have to be hard
It is good to take a position on climate change, but responsibility for the problem is going to take more than an annual hour-long blackout. Taking a stance also doesn’t mean living in a teepee with no running water or electricity.
You might try eating foods that use less fossil energy to create, purchase fewer wasteful goods, or even try to ride a bike every so often rather than driving.There is no reason why you can’t turn off your lights for an hour while also making other real changes; however, it is good to remember change won’t be as easy as the flip of a switch.