There has never been a time other than Earth Hour when humans have been able to act as a unified species with a common goal.
Over the course of 30th March 2019, lights were switched off across the planet in recognition of the effects that civilised human life has on the stability of the global environment – beginning in Samoa and ending on the Cook Islands, situated on the other side of the International Date Line.
Three hours after Samoa, the lights at the Sydney Opera House are turned off. REUTERS/David Gray
Earth Hour first began in Sydney, Australia in 2007, when around 2.2 million homes and businesses turned off their lights in symbolic recognition of the problem we have come to refer to as human-driven and accelerated climate change. This past Earth hour on Saturday (30th March 2019) had individuals and enterprises across more than 185 countries turning off non-essential lighting for one hour.
Three hours after Sydney, the lights are switched off on the Bell Tower of Xi'an in Shaanxi province, China. REUTERS/Stringer
While the total energy savings from this annual collective act may not make up for the damage that has already been done to this third rock from the sun, the unification proved possible by the global celebration of Earth Hour demonstrates that this generation of people currently surviving on the planet are the first to be aware of our impending crises – and possibly the last to be able to do anything about it.
Malaysian opinion of climate change
The effects of human-driven climate change have visibly resulted in shifting weather conditions around the planet. In temperate climates, winters get harsher and spring season seems to arrive earlier every year – and in the tropics, the regular droughts and floods seem to get more unpredictable and destructive with each year that passes.
Flooding in Kampung Jalan Masjid in Jelutong, George Town. Starpic by MUSTAFA AHMAD/The Star/20 February 2019.
Facebook users polled on 1st March this year seemed to largely agree with the suggestion that Malaysia’s weather was getting noticeably hotter. 86% of respondents agreed with the statement “This heat is not normal,” while only 14% fell in with climate change denialists and expressed agreement with the statement that “35°C is not that hot.”
Does our weather normally get this hot, or is it time to have a serious talk about global warming?
86% of respondents agreed with the statement “This heat is not normal”, while only 14% expressed agreement with the statement that “35°C is not that hot.”
The pressing need for drastic change
While the symbolic act of turning off non-essential lighting for an hour may inspire thoughts of change, when the lights come back on – or as the sun rises the following morning – most of us return to attending to our basic needs and the more immediate objectives of personal survival or advancement.
Such as playing with these things.
In order to effect the kind of change that will preserve tolerable climates, ensure diverse ecosystems, and allow future generations to have enough food and live comfortably, many past traditions may need to be forgotten – or at least drastically modified.
We should stop meeting like this.
Across all strata of society, from administrative levels right down to consumers, a change in mentality is desperately needed. Ecological sustainability should, for the sake of all of us living and yet to live, take precedence over profitability and having more than the next person – but this will require widespread and instant changes.
Behaviours
Everyday behaviours relying on the use of electricity will have to be tempered with deliberate and long-term thinking. Turning off and unplugging electronic devices when they are not needed may not be enough.
Maybe use a mortar and pestle instead of a blender, you'll work off some of that underarm flab and look like a culinary hipster in the kitchen. Photo by Honey Fangs on Unsplash.
Diets
Diets will need to shift from embodying luxury and decadence to consistency and reliability. If we don’t stop flying meat in from overseas and start relying on agricultural offerings from our immediate surroundings, someone's grandchildren may have to get used to the idea of getting their regular protein intake from insects.
"Go ahead and eat up while Grandpa tells you about steak."
Manufacturing
The most resource-intensive manufacturing processes may need to shift focus from a paradigm heavily in favour of planned obsolescence and profitability to one centred around sustainability and longevity. The longer products last and the less valuable resources that go into making them, the less toxic waste will need to be broken down or buried in landfills.
City Planning
The planning of our cities should take natural environments into consideration while enabling societies to become more efficient. Designs of transportation networks are increasingly being defined by artificial intelligence – but this revolution needs to accelerate to a point where cities can utilise the minimum amount of resources to serve natural environments as much as the people they shelter.
Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels.
Architecture
The architectural considerations of our buildings should incorporate tested and proven climate-specific features rather than adhering to trending designs that may be more appropriate for different environments. The designs of tropical homes, for instance, should contain features that allow a decreased reliance on artificial air-conditioning and lighting.
Image by Lars Plöger from Pixabay.
Construction
The construction of structures should be primarily carried out with the objectives of reducing waste and ensuring longevity – which may be achievable with the IBS (industrialised building system) or other forms of modern prefabricated construction techniques concentrating wasteful or resource-intensive activities in central locations.
Gamuda IBS bathrooms constructed as a single, seamless plug and play unit. These precast bathroom pods come complete with electrical circuits, plumbing and waterproofed walls, floors, and fittings.
For most of us, a discussion surrounding any one of our greater problems typically begins and ends with the phrase, “The government should...” – but any revolution in administration, manufacturing, agriculture, global trade, and consumer behaviour must occur now or within our lifetimes. For the people who will be alive in two generations, it will be far too late to effect any meaningful change.
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