Equivalent to putting cars back on the road

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Last updated on May 20th, 2017 at 09:49 am

Stephen Stratford sends news of Earth Hour’s triumph in New Zealand:

Transpower spokeswoman Rebecca Wilson said power consumption on Saturday night during Earth Hour was 335 megawatts compared to an average of 328 megawatts for the previous two Saturdays.

According to Earth Hour spokesman Charlie Stevens: “Earth Hour wasn’t ever going to be about the (electricity) results.” That’s not what they were saying prior to Earth Hour, which evidently was more about free ads for a novelty night in Melbourne restaurants.

Posted by Tim B. on 03/31/2008 at 09:09 AM
    1. I did a few back-of-the-envelope scratchings this morning based on the 1000 megawatt saving the ABC was carping on about. At about 0.239 tonnes of carbon emissions per magawatt, Earth Hour would have saved about 239 tonnes of CO2 escaping into the atmosphere. Another site told me that the average US vehicle produces 12,000 lb or about 5.4 tonnes of C02 a year. Earth Hour, then, was the equivalent of taking less than 45 cars off the road for a year.

      Sounds OK until you remember that Australians bought 1,000,000 new cars last year.

      Posted by Villeurbanne on 2008 03 31 at 09:28 AM • permalink

 

    1. With all due respect, Tim, Charlie Stevens is right. Earth Hour wasn’t ever about reducing electricity usage. Anyone who isn’t an idiot will realize that such a temporary and superficial change in behavior has no significant effect.

      No, Earth Hour was about getting large numbers of people to do whatever pointless thing they were told to do by Our Green Masters. It was a demonstration of political power—like a bodybuilder flexing his muscles in front of an audience. The message (intended for politicians and the news media) was: “Look how many votes and how much money we command!”

      Unfortunately for Our Green Masters, the demostration was a flop.

      Posted by sundog on 2008 03 31 at 09:39 AM • permalink

 

    1. #2, Yes, what good is power if you can’t show it off?

      Posted by Harry Bergeron on 2008 03 31 at 10:15 AM • permalink

 

    1. Majorly OT, but this intrigues me. Good luck to Bolta if he’s going for it!

      Posted by Ash_ on 2008 03 31 at 10:23 AM • permalink

 

    1. At least, the Kiwis know how to make a proper comparison …

      Posted by egg_ on 2008 03 31 at 10:33 AM • permalink

 

    1. #4 Interesting, but would he be more valuable as a columnist or as a parliamentarian?

      Posted by Burbank on 2008 03 31 at 10:40 AM • permalink

 

    1. #4 – I just saw it, too. He’d be great in that place but it’d be a loss to the Hun. Good luck to him!

      Posted by Villeurbanne on 2008 03 31 at 10:43 AM • permalink

 

    1. #6 and 7, am I just paranoid, or do I sense an April Fool’s joke?

      Posted by Ash_ on 2008 03 31 at 10:48 AM • permalink

 

    1. #8 Yes, I think so, but I was going to let it run a bit before saying that.

      Posted by Burbank on 2008 03 31 at 10:51 AM • permalink

 

    1. OT/  My Bad, I just bought a 1979 Z28 Camaro.

      Now I’m in a quandary, do I get rid of the 2004 BA XR8, the 1978 ZH Fairlane with 383 Cleveland Stroker or the 1966 VC Valiant Regal 225 slant six sedan?

      Or do I leave my lights off for the year?

      Posted by deadparrot on 2008 03 31 at 10:59 AM • permalink

 

    1. # 8 – Damnit! It’s still the 31st where I am so I didn’t even think of it.

      Posted by Villeurbanne on 2008 03 31 at 11:00 AM • permalink

 

    1. #11 Well it actually sounded fairly convincing at first (also it’s still only about 2 AM here so it didn’t click at once what the date was).

      Posted by Burbank on 2008 03 31 at 11:05 AM • permalink

 

    1. On Bolta: I do hope it is a AFD joke cos Australia’s biggest left-wing blogger (according to himself, anyway) is all over it like a rash. The celebrations of Daryl Mason have begun.

      Posted by Villeurbanne on 2008 03 31 at 12:06 PM • permalink

 

    1. Australia’s biggest left-wing blogger

      Really? Who is Dazza anyway (showing my blissful ignorance of our lefty bloggers here)? He seems remarkably coy in his profile about what he actually writes/publishes. (Unless he means his blog, I suppose.)

      Posted by Burbank on 2008 03 31 at 12:15 PM • permalink

 

    1. I clicked your link Villeurbanne, and now I feel thoroughly dirty.

      No doubt tomorrow that incredibly honest, reliable and credible site “BoltWatch” will be in throes of excitement at the idea. I wonder if any will cheer that they have vanquished the evil Beast of Bolt, because according to them, he can’t handle a bit of criticism.

      Posted by Ash_ on 2008 03 31 at 12:15 PM • permalink

 

    1. #14 Yeah, Burbank, not too many people have heard of Old Dazza.

      Here’s a bit on Darryl Mason.

      Posted by Ash_ on 2008 03 31 at 12:22 PM • permalink

 

    1. Just had a look at Bolt Watch. They’re apparently still asleep, but their comparison between this site and Andrew’s will miff Andrew a bit:

      Tim Blair … is roughly the NSW equivalent*. Only his blog is even more disturbing.

      * These lefties seem a little bit parochial given the reach of this blog. Still, congratulations all.

      Posted by Burbank on 2008 03 31 at 12:27 PM • permalink

 

    1. Disturbing …

      *adds that adjective to ‘oafish’ and ‘infantile’*

      Posted by Achillea on 2008 03 31 at 01:27 PM • permalink

 

    1. Just when you thought it was safe to turn on the lights, I get this e-mail from my office facilities manager:

      Darn Kids!
      The Statewide Terrorism & Intelligence Center (US) has learned that April 1, 2008 (and this is not an April Fools joke – that I am aware of), young people from around the world will be “rising up to show the world that they refuse to fool around with climate change and our future.” This protest is being coordinated by the Energy Action Coalition (EAC) and they are calling for rallies at gas stations or representative’s offices, Critical Mass bike rides, office occupations, spank the bank visits (I’m not making this stuff up), etc.

      Posted by Room 237 on 2008 03 31 at 02:21 PM • permalink

 

    1. You KNOW they are going to blame that on us in general and you in particular, right Tim?

      Posted by MikeTheLibrarian on 2008 03 31 at 03:53 PM • permalink

 

    1. … spank the bank visits …

      Is that what they’re calling it these days?

      Posted by Achillea on 2008 03 31 at 04:24 PM • permalink

 

    1. Colin Power is a April Fool.

      Posted by stackja1945 on 2008 03 31 at 06:12 PM • permalink

 

    1. My Sister In Law (labor voting buffoon that she is) decided to drive her 20 year old clunker of a car up to Mt Coot-Tha here in Brisbane to “watch the lights go out”.

      By her account there were hundreds of other people doing the same thing so what should have been a 2 minute drive up to the look-out took over 20 minutes.

      20 minutes of carbon emitting traffic jam to watch earth hour “save the planet”.

      Oh, and then there was the trip back down which took even longer.

      And what’s worse, she sees no irony in this activity at all.

      If the idea of earth hour was to “raise awareness” it’s not working. These people just don’t get it at all.

      Posted by polymath on 2008 03 31 at 07:03 PM • permalink

 

    1. Like I say, these wankers don’t even care about the thing they are posing for, they are just poseurs – and electrophobes.

      They appear to hate efficient electricity, but love CO2. But then, you know that it is all about YOUR waste, not theirs.

      Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 03 31 at 07:39 PM • permalink

 

    1. #1 Villeurbanne, you mis-overestimate. Don’t forget that electric light CO2 was replaced by candle CO2.

      Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 03 31 at 07:41 PM • permalink

 

    1. #17
      Disturbing?RAOTFLMAO.

      Disturbing. The left is disturbed, it doesn’t need any right wing blogs to knock it out if equilibrium.

      Librium.

      Good idea. Disturbed should have some.

      Posted by kae on 2008 03 31 at 07:49 PM • permalink

 

    1. Perhaps what they did was to raze their awareness.

      Posted by AisA on 2008 03 31 at 08:14 PM • permalink

 

    1. #19 – we similiarly were warned about possible protests against us (a coal mine) to occur today. Some group called Rising Tide, with “Fossil Fools” day.

      I think their original plan was to have some sort of action in Central Queensland, but it looks to have been limited to company HQs in Brisbane. I’m guessing that lack of interest led to a downscaling of the original plan.

      People of Brisbane, be on the lookout for papier mache heads.

      Posted by AnthonyC on 2008 03 31 at 08:48 PM • permalink

 

    1. #19 If it wasn’t for those darn kids we would have gotten away with it.

      Posted by Burbank on 2008 03 31 at 11:46 PM • permalink

 

    1. ## 28 & 29—

      You know the most rediculous thing about this supposed “protest”?  It required reasonably intelligent and educated adults to type “spank the bank”

      Posted by Room 237 on 2008 04 01 at 12:09 AM • permalink

 

    1. One other thing if you are planning to “spank the bank”—if you don’t stop it, you will go blind.

      Posted by Room 237 on 2008 04 01 at 12:18 AM • permalink

 

    1. #13 Villeurbanne, Have a look at the “gracious” and “good-natured” update to that link.

      Posted by Burbank on 2008 04 01 at 01:00 AM • permalink

 

    1. Was it last night that we were supposed to leave the lights on, or tonight?  I’m in the US, so I’m not sure.  My wife turned on the ouside light last night anyway.  We can turn it on again tonight, no problem.

      I think they need a beter slogan.  “Let there be dark” just isn’t doing it for me.

      Posted by MarkD on 2008 04 01 at 12:32 PM • permalink

 

  1. #10,
    Definitely the 1966 VC Valiant Regal 225 slant six sedan!
    Worst bloody car I ever had, spent more time in the workshop than on the road!

    Posted by Orion on 2008 04 02 at 05:01 AM • permalink