Lights out in Sydney

Things are heating up here in Kerala. And when I say things, I really only mean the weather. The low is around 80F, the high is slowly creeping up to 100F. Everyone reassures me, "Now, even for us, this is really hot!" I just wipe the sweat off my face with my sweaty shawl, and try to smile.

A few nights ago, while coloring with the girls, the power went off. This is a common occurance, and by now, I've gotten somewhat used to the drill. We lit some candles, and within a few minutes, a light flickered on. Then off. Then on. The usually bright light was only emitting a small, orangish light. "Low voltage," one of the girls told me. So we played in the eerie orange light, and ate by the low light of the dining hall. When I made it back to my room after dinner, there was still low voltage. I could only have one light on at a time, and my fan was turning so slowly that I could actually watch individual blades circle around and around. I sat on my bed and read the paper. And this is what I read.

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=345502&Category=24&subCategoryID=
Businesses and homes in Sydney, Australia, were planning to turn off their lights for an hour "to protest excessive greenhouse gas emissions." As I sat there, in my low-voltage lighting under my slow-moving fan, I suddenly felt a little bitter towards those Australians. They think they're making a difference by turning off their lights for one, measly hour? What about their a/c? McDonald's turned off its golden arches - would they still be cooking food inside? Of course, I applaud Sydney for their efforts. But at the time, I felt like something was missing. Like their sacrifice wasn't enough.

The next morning, I woke up. The power was completely gone. I ate my breakfast and read the paper. I read this: http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1136. Sydney's blackout had been declared a success. Emissions were lowered by 10%. And still, I was bitter. For Indians, an hour without light is nothing. Try over 12 hours without any power. Then see how much your emissions will drop!

I wonder how much our town's emissions had dropped during our non-voluntary blackout.