'Lights Out' highlights green absurdity

When it comes to all things "green", common sense seems to be abandoned too soon. Our failure to think clearly about such matters would be amusing if the potential consequences were not so serious.

Consider the recent "lights out" campaign that urges citizens in 27 big cities to turn out their lights for an hour. The idea is to sensitize the world about the problems of climate change.

With scores of companies and municipalities signing up, and even the monarchies of Denmark and Sweden turning off the lights in their many palaces, the World Wildlife Fund quickly called it an amazing success. Newspapers around the world dutifully wrote feel-good stories about how engaged environmentalists celebrated as the lights went out.