Earth Hour 2009

It's 28 March now where I am. Today is the day for Earth Hour 2009. Just turn off the lights for one hour. Better still, also unplug all electrical appliances. Ooooops except the fridge if you have one. But even if you have it will still be ok to unplug it as long as you don't open it for one hour. Maybe it's defrost and cleaning up time for the fridge. What about the AC and the electric fan? Turn them off as well. Or maybe not? coz it's hot!

So that is why we are in the mall. At least we are sharing the light and the AC with many others here. But we came here by car. We use gasohol and our car is more than two years old. Is it safe to say that the emission from gasohol is not hazardous? I am mentioning this since last week there was this issue about cars using gasohol releasing toxic and carcinogenic substances into the atmosphere, causing more air pollution. Especially if the car is old and has no mechanism to filter such emissions.

What will be accomplished during the Earth Hour campaign? At least an awareness that we need to take action from our everyday activities, to do our own little bit to make the environment better. To have that environmental consciousness everyday.

It's just noontime. At least at home the lights are off and the appliances are unplugged. A few more hours and we will be home. At 8:30pm the real test will come.

After the G8

They agreed to fight climate change but there were no targets set for reducing the level of greenhouse emissions. Who will do it then? How will they fight it? So was it all just talk among the powerful countries of the world? It will be interesting to note what will be done. Many projects and endeavours are being undertaken by other institutions but the bottom line is for policy and decision makers to take action on the results. Hope any research results could be translated into understandable language so they can be easily adopted or accepted by the general public. But when? In the meantime, the struggle for a cleaner environment goes on, along with the struggle against the adverse effects of climate change in many parts of the world. Good if you can fight it, but sad for those who can't.