Earth Hour: Power of small changes

Tiny Singapore can help change world, says WWF chairman
Sheralyn Tay, Today Online 29 Mar 08;

IT MAY not seem much, but a 2-degree-Centigrade increase in global temperature will lead to a 1-m rise in sea levels, causing widespread drought and destroying crops and livestock. For tiny Singapore, it will mean most of the East Coast will be underwater.

That is why the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has committed itself to the ambitious target of focusing on the little things to keep at bay the dire consequences of global warming. This, said Dr Chris Hails (picture), chairman of WWF Singapore, is what sets the WWF apart from many other campaigns more focused on awareness issues.

"There's always going to be a certain amount of 'noise' in the world as different people campaign for different things," he said. "At the end of the day, getting people to do something is what counts."

This is where Earth Hour — "one small element" in a much larger WWF campaign to reduce the greenhouse effect — comes in, said the British biologist, who is also WWF International's director of network relations. Earth Hour (see box) encourages people to turn of their lights between 8pm and 9pm on Saturday, to promote electricity conservation and lower carbon emission.

But this does not mean that smaller campaigns or grassroots actions should be written off, he stressed. Rather, is should be given space to grow.

The Brit, who was environmental adviser to the Ministry of National Development here in the 1980s, said the growth of local green groups was inspiring. While he acknowledged that these may appear small and piecemeal, he saw these causes as the critical "experimental bed" where good ideas would emerge and take root.

"It's how social change happens, isn't it?" he said.

Earth Hour is an example, growing from a Sydney-based action last year to a global phenomenon involving more than 371 cities and communities around the world this year. It is meant to inspire and answer the question of what an individual can do, said Dr Hails. It highlights the fact that if one takes public transport instead of driving or sets the air-conditioner a few degrees higher — it will all add up, making a huge difference in the fight against rising world temperatures.

Even small Singapore can exert a "large influence" on the region, he said, because it is a leader in political thinking, social motivation and technology.

"Singapore is a great consumer of resources, so the responsible and sustainable use of these resources is vital to its future," he noted.

And as for the common argument of climate versus economy, Dr Hails said: "There's going to come a day when we realise we cannot afford not to make these changes because economies are going to be affected anyway. There's no point in saying we cannot afford to do this, when we're already hurting in so many different ways."

Given the scale of the problem, there cannot be half measures.

"Climate change is the single biggest threat that we face right now. It affects our security on so many fronts," he said.

With the very forces driving climate change deeply rooted in our economy, lifestyles and behaviour, ambitious targets are vital to evoke change. Take WWF's "ambitious" 2-degree-Centigrade target.

"It's a very ambitious target," Dr Hails noted. "But then again, most worthwhile things in life are only worthwhile because of that."

LIGHTS OUT
A bright idea that began in Sydney, Australia is catching on here.
Teh Jen Lee, The New Paper 29 Mar 08;

A bright idea that began in Sydney, Australia is catching on here.

Singapore is joining Earth Hour 2008, an initiative that was started by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) last year to raise awareness about climate change.

Lights will be switched off tomorrow between 8pm and 9pm in the homes of individuals, such as Miss Chuah Yin Yin's, and buildings such as Raffles City Singapore will switch off their facade lights.

Retail business will go on as normal because shops will still be lit. Swissotel the Stamford and Fairmont Singapore (formerly Raffles the Plaza), which are not under the same management as Raffles City, are not taking part.

Companies in Suntec Exhibition and Convention Centre, office buildings such as the NTUC building along the Marina Bay waterfront, and 14buildings under CapitaLand will be dark for an hour.

Organisers said the exercise will not infringe on safety protocols - in places like emergency exits that need to be lit, the lights will be dimmed, not turned off completely.

Mr Baey Yam Keng, vice-president of corporate social responsibility for CapitaLand, said: 'Switching of our building lights for one hour is more than just a symbolic gesture as we are taking the opportunity to encourage our 2,000 staff members in Singapore and many thousands of tenants to play their part in protecting the environment.'

SENDING A MESSAGE

Mr Baey, who is also a Member of Parliament, added that cost savings have not been estimated, because the important thing is to send a message through the darkened facades of buildings such as Raffles City and Bugis Village.

In Sydney previously, the one-hour event reportedly saved energy by 10 per cent.

The NTUC building houses the Microsoft office, one of the sponsors of Earth Hour 2008.

Mr Craig Law-Smith, marketing director for Microsoft's online services group in South-east Asia, said: 'Singaporeans are becoming increasingly interested in the environment. Earth Hour is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness as it gives people the opportunity to get involved and share their experiences.

'MSN and Microsoft Windows Live can help people share and discover more about the environment as well as the things they're passionate about.'

One such passionate person is Miss Chuah Yin Yin, 26, a life-science trainer who lives in a landed property in Seletar.

She said: 'All of us have a part to play in conserving our environment for the future, so I decided to take part in Earth Hour. I have also been encouraging my friends to support it.'

She said she will turn off all lights at home during the time period.

Mr Wilson Ang, president of the Environmental Challenge Organisation (ECO), said Earth Hour is a 'first step forward'.

'It shows that everyone can make a difference collectively by making small changes in their daily lifestyle.

'Turning off the lights is not a dramatic thing. It's a small action that collectively makes a big difference.'

ECO helped to coordinate the grassroot movement among resident committees and schools.

During the day tomorrow, 300students will be going door to door in Hougang to raise awareness about the exercise.

There will be a countdown to the Earth Hour in Punggol involving Minister George Yeo.

There will also be stargazing sessions in the east and west.

For more information on Earth Hour in the heartlands, go to www.earthhoursingapore.blog spot.com.

Mr Ang said: 'Switching off lights is a symbolic action to us. What we want subsequently is for people to think of what else they can switch off while it is not in use.

'We want to focus on reducing consumption.'

A dozen major cities around the world, such as Manila, Toronto, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Copenhagen and Chicago, will also be turning off the lights to save energy during Earth Hour tomorrow.

The impact of one hour of darkness:

ON 31 Mar 2007, more than 2.2 million people and 2,100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour.

It cut normal energy use by 10 per cent.

If sustained for a year in Sydney's central business district, it will equal taking more than 48,000 cars off the road for a year.

It made the world take notice when icons such as Sydney Harbour Bridge turned dark.