







Celebrating darkness signals a turn away from an ever brighter future. This is not just metaphorical because climate policies keep making electricity more expensive. This especially hurts the poor. With electricity prices rising 80% in Germany since 2000, and renewable subsidies of $33 billion this year, 800,000 Germans per year get their power cut off because they can no longer afford to pay the bills.

In the developing world, well-meaning Western governments are opposing the funding of new coal-fired power plants that could avoid rolling blackouts in countries such as Pakistan. Instead, we're now adding more joblessness and economic hopelessness.

And the darkness hits the 1.3 billion people with no electricity the hardest. Increasingly, we insist that they should be allowed electricity only if it is renewable.

Yet, a new analysis from the Center for Global Development finds that by investing $10 billion in renewable energy, we can pull one person out of poverty for about $500. Using gas electrification instead would be more than four times as efficient. By insisting on renewables, we deliberately choose to leave 60 million people in darkness and poverty. This seems hypocritical, as the rich world gets just 0.8% of its energy from hugely expensive solar and wind technologies, which remain unreliable. Even with optimistic assumptions, the International Energy Agency estimates that by 2035, we will produce just 2.6% of our energy from wind and under 1% from solar.

Most participants celebrate Earth Hour with the best of intentions. But instead of turning off the lights for everyone, let's focus on finding bright solutions that can make a difference for both the climate and the poor.



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