Earth Hour - Addressing the Issues with Big Corporations

 Earth Hour is perhaps one of the biggest environmental awareness movements around the world, with it taking place on the last Saturday of March every year since its beginning in 2007. The participation of certain monuments in this activity has certainly helped promote conversation about this event. This video below provides a quick recap of what went down this year on the 26th of March and shows some of the biggest landmarks turning off their lights for this year's Earth Hour. 

Source: WION (2022)

Although it's a relief to know that big cities are still actively participating in this, many of the commenters under this video expressed scepticism regarding the effectiveness of this movement. For example, one comment by user 'NG' reads: 

"This is just western capitalism ideas to show themselves being good but what is [the] use of such 1 hr in a year drama when they [are] responsible for more than 60% of the problem"

This comment alludes to the dissatisfaction with big corporations making a show of their efforts to reduce global warming yet ignoring their contributions to climate change. I have to say that I share the same sentiments as this commenter too. As I was looking through Singapore's World Wildlife Fund (WWF) webpage on Earth Hour, I noticed that there is also a section encouraging Singaporeans to go on a #datewithnature at Gardens by the Bay. This is followed by a quote from the COO of Gardens by the Bay, Thomas Seow, where he said: 

"Gardens by the Bay offers a welcome respite from the hectic city life with its lush landscapes and biodiversity in the heart of Marina Bay. We invite the public to come and explore the fascinating wildlife in our starry gardens sans Supertree lights this Earth Hour,"

Firstly, this statement didn't sit quite right with me, especially the 'sans Supertree lights'. This shows the awareness that the Supertree lights in Gardens By the Bay which turn on every single night do contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, yet not much is being done to reduce their electricity consumption. This is on top of the fact that the Gardens By the Bay exhibitions themselves, with the constantly air-conditioned domes, already contribute significantly to electricity usage. Secondly, encouraging Singaporeans to go to the parks together can lead to congregations at these places and increase travel towards these places through public transport or private vehicles. This can also lead to enhanced emissions of CO2 and carbon monoxide, which would then far offset the efforts to reduce emissions during the 1 hour of lights out. In essence, I feel that the messages that are being sent by big corporations can sometimes be counter-intuitive. While it is good that more people are learning about global warming, the proper things need to be taught as well in order to successfully mitigate climate change. This can start with big corporations recognising their faults and setting an example to the rest of the public. 

References: 

WION. (2022, March 28). Earth Hour 2022: How did it go? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2W8J-4YbUs

World Wildlife Fund - Singapore. (2022, March 25). WWF-Singapore’s Earth Hour 2022 encourages Singaporeans to switch-off lights and take climate action beyond the hour. WWF Singapore. https://www.wwf.sg/wwf-singapores-earth-hour-2022-encourages-singaporeans-to-switch-off-lights-and-take-climate-action-beyond-the-hour/