Column: Saturday's Earth Hour a start for global climate and energy change

03/31/09 -Through economic disarray and with an ongoing war, countries' populations around the world were somehow able to coordinate - even if just for an hour to observe the World Wildlife Federation's Earth Hour.Saturday, countries all over the globe turned out their lights at 8:30 p.m. during their respective local times. According to the Earth Hour Web site, more than 4,000 cities and towns participated, across more than 88 countries. The first event took place exclusively in Australia in 2007, but for this year's occasion, countries ranging from New Zealand to the Philippines participated.

If Earth Hour, organized by the World Wildlife Foundation, makes any indication, it's presumable that the world's population really does care about the planet's environment, but its true influence on the world will be seen in December when world leaders meet at the 15th Conference of the Parties under the United Nations' Climate Change Convention.

With climate change and greenhouse gases becoming more prevalent in news headlines, and with further developments in hybrid car technology, there is now a larger concern for saving energy and frankly, saving the planet.

In the past, the United States refused to accept the 1997 Kyoto Protocol's climate guidelines, but with the meeting in Copenhagen just months away, there is a chance to change. According to CNN.com, President Barack Obama has invited 16 world leaders with major economies to the White House to discuss energy and climate.

While it's refreshing and somewhat surprising to see a large chunk of the world population cooperate together for Earth Hour, the lasting energy effects ultimately lie with the world's leaders.

On the WWF Web site, International Director Gen. James Leape said, "Our work continues, because over the next eight months, the leaders of the world will be deciding how they step up to meet this challenge, and we need, together, to make sure they do the right thing."

And it's time for the United States to step it up, to get up on its mighty soapbox and send a message to other countries around the world. It's time for the United States to be in the news for something that impacts the world, rather than having countless stories about Octomom and pistachio recalls.

Seventy-six years ago Franklin Delano Roosevelt uttered the now infamous line, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." And with the tanking economy and environmental uncertainty, now more than ever is when the United States should get back into this form of thinking. But to do this, the United States must set the example by setting a benchmark at the Copenhagen meetings.

Without U.S. support, the rest of the world can only do so much. To keep the environment clean and to make sure nature can remain as it is now, Copenhagen needs to be something remarkable. In addition to the United States, other economic leaders, such as China, need to make drastic change by using alternative fuel, waste removal methods and manufacturing processes.

While Earth Hour was only for one night and was done more to increase political pressure, it's important for participants around the world to realize that saving energy should be an ongoing activity, and not simply a one-time anomaly.

Earth Hour is over and the world's fate is seemingly out of our hands. But for once, the small things do count. Doing things such as buying Energy Star rated appliances, switching to Compact Fluorescent light bulbs, and recycling are all doable things to help save energy before Copenhagen.

As nice it was to see global participation on Earth Day, it's all for naught if nothing gets done come Copenhagen.