The second official Earth Hour could be observed on Saturday, March 27, 2010, at 8:30 P.m. local time for quite a few. According to the official Earth Hour web site, as people around the world turn their lights off at the 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 component of Earth Hour doesn’t mean we have to actually be responsible for the environment by altering our lives. All that is needed is for us to turn off the lights for an hour.
Shop, donate, borrow money
It won’t cost you anything; however, anyone who thinks buying merchandise will stop Global Climate Change can shop for Earth Hour gear on their website. Those who believe it may make better environmental sense to donate cash directly to Earth Hour can do that online, too. At the time of this writing, Earth Hour Gear wasn’t available yet, but contributions are always welcome, so get your personal loan application started if you need a loan to help you do your part in Earth Hour.
Climate change in a nutshell
The Earth Hour website implies that effects of climate change are shown in all of the US. Alaska’s climate has warmed twice as quickly as the mainland United States. Spring snowmelt is earlier, sea ice is reduced, glaciers are retreating and 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, droughts are becoming more of a concern because water supplies are a lot more scarce.
Within the Midwest, lake ice is reduced when downpours are twice as frequent as they were 100 years ago. The Northeast has less snow and more rain. The Southeast has additional hurricanes, increased air temperatures, higher winds, greater rainfall, and more storm surges. The man-made environment is threatened, wetlands are drowning, shorelines are eroding, and sea levels are increasing on the coastlines and islands, which are more sensitive to impacts from climate change.
Taking a stance might not be too hard
It is good to take a stance on climate change, but responsibility for the problem is going to take a lot more than an annual hour-long blackout. Taking a stance also doesn’t mean living in a teepee with no running water or electricity.
A person might ride a bike on occasion rather than driving a car, purchase fewer wasteful and unnecessary products, or choose foods that require less fossil fuel energy to produce.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 bear in mind change won’t be as easy as the flip of a switch.
