Lights across London were switched off for an hour yesterday evening to encourage London’s three million households to conserve energy. The Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly Circus were among the landmarks plunged into darkness to try and raise the issue of climate change.
The Lights Out London campaign aimed to have all non-essential lighting turned off between for one hour from 9-10 PM. It was the first time the lights at Piccadilly Circus had been switched off since World War II.
But the whole thing seems slightly farcical..
Earlier in the day, environment minister Ben Bradshaw had urged all Londoners to switch off their lights during the blackout. “Excessive illumination contributes to climate change and you may like to join in, if you are in London tonight, the London Lights Out campaign.”
Rather than Londoners getting to switch their lights off for one hour on a one off basis, it would be better if Bradshaw forced empty office building to switch off their lights every night. If you walk around the financial district of London at night it is lit up like a Christmas tree.