Breathing space for the planet

They say the first step to solving a problem is admitting there is one. I would go into more details, saying that more than simply recognizing it, the first step is to be fully conscious of the issue at hand and its repercussions.

Both in Panama and abroad, a moment of silence is usually called as a gesture of respect, and for silent contemplation or reflection, usually on those who have recently died or as part of a commemoration ceremony of a tragic historical event.

Based on that premise, a little over a year ago a French non-governmental organization (NGO) called for a voluntary 10 minute blackout, or moment of darkness if you please, to mourn the damage we have inflicted upon the earth and reflect on global warming. As many others, they recognized the problems that global warming poses for the planet and for the viability of life on earth, and decided to take action.

This year more than 30 cities, including most Latin American capital cities like Panama, followed suit, launching an online campaign to turn off lights and electrical appliances for 10 minutes. The message was passed along through blogs, emails and social networking sites like Facebook, proposing using no electricity between 7:50 and 8:00 p.m. this past Wednesday January 28.

According to the message circulated, the event invitation suggested a correlation between the 10 minutes of decreased electrical activity and substantial savings of energy, “to give the planet some extra breathing space” and thereby fight against global warming.

Organizers thought it necessary to raise awareness on global warming and the need to save energy to alleviate the consequences of climate change, mostly caused by high levels of pollution in most industrialized countries.

I don’t know what impact Wednesday’s 10 minutes of darkness might have had, but my unscientific guess is that it was minimum, if not nonexistent. But if anything, it might have helped participants become more conscious of global warming and their participation in its cause, reflecting on the depth of the issue and the innumerable repercussions, from the extinction of various species of plants and animals to the worldwide decrease in drinking water.

I am sure organizers didn’t expect the level of energy saved in Panama or among all the participating countries to make a huge difference, but underneath the efforts of everyone who participated hopefully lay the realization that small steps taken by one person multiplied by millions across cities can and will certainly make a difference.

Even though it is in the hands of industrialized countries’ to find viable solutions for containing and reversing global warming, developing countries like Panama can at least join the cause by following general guidelines such as using low consumption light bulbs, turning off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances, and not wasting water, and taking similar energy-saving steps. That includes relying more on our own two feet (by walking or bicycling) rather than cars, and the installation of solar panels in our homes.

Hopefully the latter and similar energy and resources saving measures used in other parts of the world (like toilets with two flushes and showers that require you to push a button to regulate the use of water, electrical stairs that run only when they sense someone close by, and lights that turn off when everyone leaves the room) will be brought to Panama soon.

It might be too late for us to participate in the voluntary blackout across cities now, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try it out on your own. Those 10 minutes will at least help you relax and disconnect from daily stresses, and give time reflect on how, maybe, with simple steps, you could be giving the planet a little longer life, even if we are talking of only fractions of a second.