As people's earnings rise, they want more of these niceities, whether they live in Murray or Mumbai. As the affluence and population increase in India and China, energy demands will grow exponentially. Somehow, we have to develop non-carbon-emitting resources to meet these needs.

But it will, as Friedman says, require a revolution. We've been powering our homes and factories the same way since the Industrial Revolution — largely relying on electricity from coal-fired power plants.

It's rather mind-numbing to think what would be required to wean us off coal completely. While wind and solar are nice alternatives, nuclear power will have to be part of the mix, too. And some of the same people beating the drum about global warming are the staunchest opponents of nuclear power.

Something has to give, if not in my lifetime, certainly in my daughter's lifetime. Perhaps this is why she was so insistent about turning off the lights.

Marjorie Cortez, who's fairly certain her personal "sleep mode" doesn't qualify for Earth Hour credit, is a Deseret News editorial writer. E-mail her at marjorie@desnews.com