Skating on the Other Side of the Ice « Watts Up With That?

[Willis Eschenbach] Now, what’s wrong with this picture?

The problem with the picture is that the earth has two poles. And for reasons which are not well understood, when one pole warms, the other pole cools.

Looking at just the Arctic sea ice is like looking at someone who is pouring water from one glass to another and back again. If we want to see how much water there is, it is useless to observe just one of the person’s hands. We need to look at both hands to see what is happening with the water.

[If participation rates were as high as claimed, why did the needle barely move?]:  Edmonton - Power usage drops 3 per cent during Earth Hour - CTV News

The reduction works out to a 3 per cent drop, not quite as high as last year's Earth Hour results which saw a 5 per cent drop. However, Edmonton can celebrate one feat this year, beating Calgary's power drop of 0.5 per cent during the same hour.
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Epcor says it can't confidently attribute the 3 per cent drop in power to Earth Hour because it is normal to see a variation of plus or minus 10 per cent when comparing weeks, if you factor in weather and number of daylight hours.

Every hour is Earth Hour in City | Pakistan

LAHORE – Electricity loadshedding has paralysed the routine life of the citizens, forcing them to use candles, earthen lamps and other cheap energy sources as an alternative to light their houses and shops, a survey conducted by The Nation on Sunday reveals.
It also discovered that a number of mishaps and incidents of fire eruption had occurred in the City over years due to the use of candles, lamps or earthen lamps, claiming dozens of human lives and reducing properties and valuables worth millions of rupees to ashes.
The survey finds that the uninterrupted-power-supply (UPS) and generator, being used mostly by the well-off stratum of the society, cause serious health hazards and add to environmental pollution. Doctors, health experts and the environment protection authorities have declared the use of UPSs and generators detrimental to health.
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A sharp rise has been recorded in the sale of candles, cheap China lights and rechargeable energy savors. But with the increase in consumption, the prices of these products have also soared manifold.