I wasn't suggesting that most people think they're making a quantitative impact by flicking a switch, give me some credit for goodness sake. Did you not notice

I wasn't suggesting that most people think they're making a quantitative impact by flicking a switch, give me some credit for goodness sake. Did you not notice how I defined the subject of my comment symbolic gesture? I'll make my point again, since you missed it the first time. I was suggesting that by flicking the switch, and participating in the grand symbolic gesture of Earth Hour, people feel like they've achieved something, and go right back to their incredibly wasteful 1st world life style feeling like they've scratched their eco-itch for another few days/weeks/months/whatever. As a tactic I think its shallow and weak. Lifestyle changes need to be baked into the fabric of society and dictated to us if we're to see any meaningful change, frankly.