So this is a mild and modern dilemma. I have received from two sources an email notification urging me to take part, at 19:55 my time tomorrow, in a “mobilization of Citizens Against Global Warming!“.
All I have to do to be part of a this manifestation of people power is to turn off my lights and electrical appliances for five minutes. I’m as worried about climate change global warming (thanks, Steven Poole) as the next person. And this is probably a nice little gesture. So why do I feel so grumpy about it?
Well, first of all, it’s obviously useless as a way to save energy. Even more so than getting every German to stop using the standby on their tellies and ‘save enough energy’ to close down a nuclear power station. But that’s fine. I get it. We all understand that mass political acts are expressive rather than instrumental. So a little well-intentioned onanism to make an entirely rhetorical point is still in order.
And the organisers are quite up front about that:
“This is not just about saving 5 minutes worth of electricity; this is about getting the attention of the media, politicians, and ourselves.”
The mass action is tied in to the anticipated publication of a UN report on global climate. A visit to the UNEP website this morning already shows a sufficiently frightening report about glaciers melting. So as long as UNEP actually publishes its report on the right day, the whole thing could be the media event its organisers dream of.
“If we all participate, this action can have real media and political weight.”
Except. Who’s to know if I participate or not? I mean, practically. At 19:55 tomorrow night, I’ll be in the office, no surprises there. I’ll be alone, and most likely the only person on my floor. And I’ll be preparing for a conference call at 21:00, and meantime on the phone to people in different time zones. (And no, I will not tell them I’m sitting in the dark. I have some pride.) So there will be no raised consciousness here. I won’t be sitting around with my flatmate, discussing energy policy.
Can we use battery operated devices? Or should I turn off my mobile phone? What about my laptop – can’t I just put it to sleep because it’s a 2 year old Dell that takes 11 minutes to boot. Can I use a normal phone? After all, it doesn’t get its power from the same mains.
Many, many questions. Much resistance, very little of it related to this mass action. Perhaps I’m too prideful to participate wholeheartedly in making up the numbers. Mostly I’m just annoyed because I’ll still be in work.
Update Well, it looks as if the manifestation resulted in the lights of monuments like the Eiffel Tower and other European monuments being turned off – a very effective symbolic act.
{ 15 comments }
Maria 01.31.07 at 6:26 am
On reflection, there is probably some good guidance available from Jews who don’t use electricity all day Friday, every week.
Chris Bertram 01.31.07 at 6:43 am
I used to live in Stamford Hill where there’s a large Hasidic community. One one occasion a guy summoned me (a passer-by) in to his house to turn his boiler off for him, as he’d forgotten to do so before the deadline. I’m pretty sure that orthodox Jews can just leave everything on or off (or even use pre-set timers or non-Jewish helpers) but that they mustn’t operate the switches since doing so would count as kindling or extinguishing a fire.
Maria 01.31.07 at 8:26 am
That’s funny – I used to live near there, too, but in a part of Clapton that newspapers started referring to as Murder Mile (unfortunately that was after I’d moved in). It was bizaare to walk towards Stamford Hill and in the space of a few hundred yards see passersby change from crack dealers and boob tubes to Hasidic ladies in ankle length navy wool dresses.
It took 4 weeks and 3 muggings for my flatmate and I to up sticks and move to Walthamstow. I wished afterwards we’d just gone as far as Stamford Hill in the first place!
abb1 01.31.07 at 10:05 am
I’m telling you: it’s hard to find a good Shabbat-goy these days.
Pete 01.31.07 at 10:59 am
Electricity grid maintainers already plan for large consumption spikes of e.g. people making tea at the end of popular TV programmes. If you got a signifigant number of people in on this protest you might show up as a dip in consumption.
The terrible irony is that in doing so you wouldn’t necessarily save any carbon emissions: fluctuations are dealt with by routing steam past the generators in coal and nuclear power stations.
Bill Gardner 01.31.07 at 11:24 am
“And no, I will not tell them I’m sitting in the dark. I have some pride.”
“Perhaps I’m too prideful to participate wholeheartedly in making up the numbers.”
I’m familiar with this feeling of resistance, but I wouldn’t have related it to pride. Why does it involve pride for you?
mpowell 01.31.07 at 12:21 pm
I guess you’re not supposed to be at work when you do this. Not much point if that’s just going to mean 5 more minutes in the office.
Maria 01.31.07 at 12:30 pm
Bill, why pride? Because it’s one of the seven deadlies and I generally ascribe my less attractive qualities to one kind of sin or another. Admittedly, this may seem loose.
Well, how do you explain your resistence to becoming another face in a mass movement/action?
Michael H. 01.31.07 at 12:49 pm
Some thoughts:
1) Symbolic acts of self-sacrifice in order to promote a cause is silly – even childish. Why be the schmuck who sits in the dark when it won’t do you or anyone else any good.
2) Maybe symbolic acts do, in fact, do some good. But it is only your word that you are in with the program – whether you really go along or just pretend. Maybe what is important is just to say you did it and not whether you really did it.
3) Read 1) after reading 2).
Michael H. 01.31.07 at 1:05 pm
What Pete is referring to is called “regulation” in the power industry – not to confused with government regulation. Planned regulation only can cover a spike of about 1% of total load so if a lot of people did really shut of their lights simulateously, the power company might have a problem responding in time (I really doubt that is a serious concern).
Pete above is incorrect about the way regulation is performed : coal and nuclear units never provide regulation. Nuclear is a pure “must run” 24 hour a day form of power and most coal units are must run and the rest are too slow to respond to provide regulation. Much of it is provided by hydro – the perfect regulation source. But gas turbines also provide regulation and they are really energy inefficient. But, in any case, when load goes down, the unit idles and burns less fuel, so turning out the lights does, indeed, save energy even if it was unexpected – but more energy would be saved if the shutdown was expected.
retyrt 01.31.07 at 1:18 pm
Eleven minutes to boot???
Maria 01.31.07 at 3:04 pm
4 letters; D.E.L.L.
My next one’s going to be a Mac.
Bill Gardner 01.31.07 at 3:19 pm
“Well, how do you explain your resistence to becoming another face in a mass movement/action?”
Me? Acedia.
However, I think the Catholic theory is that pride is the worst vice and the cause of the others. So maybe my sloth just hides a view that I am too important to spend my time in a mass demonstration.
Tom T. 01.31.07 at 8:40 pm
Note that anyone who participates must take care not to simply add an additional five minutes of activity to the end of their day, since that thoroughly defeats the purpose of the power-out. I.e., if you normally go to bed at 11, but have to stay up (with the lights on) until 11:05 brushing your teeth and putting out the cat because you turned out the lights for five minutes at 7:55, you’re not saving any electricity.
Maria 02.01.07 at 4:36 am
Acedia. How elegant. I’m feeling a bit acedic myself this morning and may pop out for another coffee.
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