Lights started going off around the world yesterday in a show of support for renewable energy, given added poignancy by Japan’s nuclear disaster, which has raised doubts about nuclear power as a possible solution.
Landmarks in thousands of cities, from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, were to turn off the power for Earth Hour, the fifth such event promoting a sustainable future for the planet.
“I think it’s going to be the -biggest one, but would also say it’s very much up to the people,” Andy Ridley, co-founder of Earth Hour, said in Sydney. “There is no-one telling you that you have to do it.”
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) initiative, along with governments, business and individuals, were to cross the globe, with the first lights dimmed across Fiji and New Zealand at 8:30pm, to lights being turned on again in Samoa 24 hours later.
Many promoting sustainable energy have seen nuclear power as a solution. However, the March 11 earthquake and tsunami which crippled the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in northeastern Japan, sending radioactive material into the atmosphere, have made many think twice.
“We did hesitate a bit [about calling for Earth Hour in Japan] because there are many without electricity in disaster-hit areas, but we thought by calling out for energy conservation nationwide it would actually boost support for those living in evacuation shelters,” said Naoyuki Yamagishi, climate change program leader for the WWF in Japan. “While not everyone participating in Earth Hour may oppose nuclear energy, I think this incident has prompted some to reflect on their stances on energy.”
Engineers were frantically attempting yesterday to pump out puddles of radioactive water at the plant, which has already sent low levels of radiation into the vegetables and milk near the plant and into dust and tap water in Tokyo.
The quake and tsunami killed more than 10,000 people and left 17,000 missing and feared dead. Tens of thousands are living in evacuation centers.
One woman who lost her home and a 50-year-old family-owned dress shop to the tsunami was Hiromi Uchikanezaki, 53, of Kirikiri Village, Iwate Prefecture.
“I am living at my brother’s house in the hills without electricity or running water,” she said when told of Earth Hour. “I can feel the support and empathy from people around the world and am grateful.”
When asked about the future of nuclear power, she said: “It can be a very good thing, but when something like this happens, it is totally terrifying.”
In Taiwan, lights were to go out on Taipei 101, while residents in one area of the city plan to spend the hour of darkness praying for victims of the Japanese disaster.
As for India, a message posted on Twitter said: “In India, thousands of villages experience Earth Hour each hour of the day.”
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard lent her voice to Earth Hour by vowing that she and her government would go beyond the hour by “doing everything in my power to deliver a carbon price” — a plan to encourage companies to minimize emissions.
Australia, a leading coal exporter, accounts for about 1.5 percent of global emissions, but is one of the highest per capita polluters in the developed world due to a reliance on coal-fired power for 80 percent of domestic electricity.
Although Earth Hour kicked off in Fiji, organizers did not have it all their own way.
Rugby-crazy Fiji agreed to switch off lights, but not televisions, because it is competiting in the ongoing Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament.
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