An 'Earth Hour' Dissent

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UPDATE:  Apparently, the novelty of 'earth hour' has worn off. Hat tip: WattsUpWithThat


ORIGINAL POSTING:

Apparently, something called "Earth Hour" is occurring this evening at 7:30pm Central. It is sponsored by the "big environment" group, the World Wildlife Fund, last seen on this blog distorting the science pertaining to Arctic ice and polar bears.

Anyway, we are supposed to turn out our lights to 'honor' the planet or something like that. According to Wikipedia, the Cartoon Network will "go dark" (i.e., go off the air) during Earth Hour. That seems about right: To me, it is a Mickey Mouse event.

I love this retort from Dr. Ross McKitrick who is an economist from Canada's University of Guelph.


I abhor Earth Hour. Abundant, cheap electricity has been the greatest source of human liberation in the 20th century. Every material social advance in the 20th century depended on the proliferation of inexpensive and reliable electricity...
Development and provision of modern health care without electricity is absolutely impossible. The expansion of our food supply, and the promotion of hygiene and nutrition, depended on being able to irrigate fields, cook and refrigerate foods, and have a steady indoor supply of hot water.
Development and provision of modern health care without electricity is absolutely impossible. The expansion of our food supply, and the promotion of hygiene and nutrition, depended on being able to irrigate fields, cook and refrigerate foods, and have a steady indoor supply of hot water.
Many of the world’s poor suffer brutal environmental conditions in their own homes because of the necessity of cooking over indoor fires that burn twigs and dung. This causes local deforestation and the proliferation of smoke- and parasite-related lung diseases.
Anyone who wants to see local conditions improve in the third world should realize the importance of access to cheap electricity... The whole mentality around Earth Hour demonizes electricity. I cannot do that, instead I celebrate it and all that it has provided for humanity.
Earth Hour celebrates ignorance, poverty and backwardness. By repudiating the greatest engine of liberation it becomes an hour devoted to anti-humanism. 
The entire essay is here. Please read it in its entirety.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 26, 2011 at 10:07 AM

    I plan to turn on every light emitting device within my 3,000 square foot home promptly at 7:30. I may leave them on until Midnight, too, just to tick these wackos off...

    ReplyDelete

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