Earth Hour: Singapore dims the future, symbolically.

Earth Hour is quite a poetic idea. It is a memorable image to make us all consider the effect of our energy usage on the Earth and global warming. It is a pricking of the global conscience regarding the grave issue of climate change. All in all, the idea of darkening the world's cities, to enlighten all as to the imminent dangers of global warming and excessive energy usage, is a timely and impactful one.

However, not all cities complied in the spirit of Earth Hour. Singapore was one of them. In a letter to the Today newspaper, a reader pointed out that the testing of the Formula One night lights, for the F1 night race, occurred around Earth Hour. If this is, in fact, so, it is very disappointing. Symbolically, it would mean that Singapore values Formula One racing and the right to move as fast as possible, more highly than the future of the Earth. An entertainment is not, and can never be, as important as the issue of climate change and excessive energy usage.

Singapore's leaders speak of the importance of the environment. However, the actions of Singapore are not always in agreement with those expressed sentiments. Earth Hour was one such clash between word and action.

People tell themselves that they won't live to see significant climate change - and so they ignore it. This is deceptive thinking. Climate change is happening fast. Everyone alive today who is middle-aged or younger, should live to see its effects (unless we do something about it). Moreover our children will live out their latter days in a world utterly transformed, for the negative, by our actions or inactions today.

Earth Hour should be respected - for what it represents is the attitude that the future of the Earth matters...and should matter now, to us all.

The next time there is an Earth Hour, I hope to see nothing but darkness across Singapore - and all other nations, too. Perhaps then, we might know, that people are thinking of how to make the world of tomorrow, a better one.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and one month, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and seven months, and Tiarnan, two years exactly, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)