Friday, March 26, 2010

Earth Hour in Papua New Guinea



Papua New Guinea frequently causes us to think in unexpected ways. Take, for example, the country's participation in quickly approaching Earth Hour.

According to the Post Courier, one of Papua New Guinea's daily newspapers, Earth Hour will be observed by many businesses in Port Moresby, the country's capital. It is likely that the some lights will be turned off in the larger provincial towns too.

As for the rest of the country, going without lights for an hour is not a widespread option. Most Papua New Guineans who live in rural areas do not have electricity.

I just did some quick online research and it looks like 1.6 billion people in the world live without electricity. That's nearly a quarter of Earth's population.

As we flick off our lights for an hour in an effort to bring attention to the heavy footprints being left on the planet, we might want to give some thought to the homes in Papua New Guinea and other countries where lights are never turned on.


copyright (c) 2007 - 2011 Mary Jane Murray