Something would surely seem backward to many in this headline from “Climate Wire” today:

1 billion people invited to turn off the lights this weekend

Of course, the bright side for those 2 billion people who have never flipped a light switch is that they also are shielded from such nincompoopery.

Now, if our poseurs could manage to leave the lights, latte machines… hospital respirators, school buses and the like off, then they might stand a chance of complying with their stated demands. But since deep down they have no intention of doing so, recognize this as being — just like Kyoto, though without the body count and misery — a gesture designed to suit the vanities of the wealthy and soft.