Might as well jump 4

To a single individual, a problem like global warming can seem vast and hopeless. One thing we constantly hear from readers is, "What can I do?"

Well, now you have an answer: Jump. The folks at World Jump Day are trying to sign up 600,000,000 people in the Western hemisphere to jump simultaneously on July 20, 2006, at 7:39:13 PM (Pacific time -- you can find your local time on their website).

Why? Well, according to German researcher Hans Niesward and his colleagues at the Department of Gravitationsphysik at ISA/München, if 600 million people jump all at once, the earth could be bumped into a slightly new orbit. The result: Longer daytime hours, a more habitable average global temperature (particularly helpful to developing countries around the equator), and no more global warming!

There's something so hopeful and slightly melancholy about this. If nothing else, I appreciate it aesthetically.

So, for my part, I'm jumping!

David Roberts is staff writer for Grist. You can follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/drgrist.

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  1. jdhlax Posted 3:39 am
    02 Mar 2005

    Simple AnswerHa ha.  When readers ask, "[w]hat can I do?" about global warming, the first thing you should say is, "stop driving."  Driving is the personal activity engaged in by Americans that causes the most global warming, and ceasing, or even greatly reducing, it would go a long way toward solving this problem.

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  2. ElectricLandlady Posted 5:02 am
    02 Mar 2005

    Jump!Curse you for putting that song in my head! Curse yooooouuuuu!
    (Also, curse you for not allowing anonymous commenting -- I finally had to come and sign up. But I'm lazy.)

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  3. RobertOfSantiago Posted 1:43 pm
    02 Mar 2005

    hold on!Something's not right with the times given on the website.  11:39:13 GMT is NOT 19:39:13 PST.  We on the west coast are 8 hours BEHIND London!  It should be 03:39:13 PST.  Even if they mean PM, they still should subtract 8 hours (i.e. 3pm PST).  I bet the other time zones are off as well.  Anybody know who to contact about that?  At least we have over a year to correct it.

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  4. ckaiser Posted 8:00 am
    04 Mar 2005

    Might as well jumpA friend to whom I directed the URL for the proposed July amusement of environmental jumping has this to say:
    Thanks. You'd better remind me when the time comes. Improvements come to mind. First, people should be coordinated along lines of longitude - everyone should jump at noon in order to push Earth away from Sun. Second, we can all jump multiple times - say from 11am to 1pm, or perhaps 11:50 to 1:10 for the infirm and unfit. The view from space will be of a giant wave endlessly circling the globe. Holding a big rock or an elementary school child with backpack would increase the effect. Finally, this must be coordinated with the Moon's position - we don't want to put them on a collision course or tides will be messed up and everyone will have to buy new tide table books. Oh, those low-rider cars in LA can participate, too - some can jump clean off the ground.
    What really worries me, though, is the thought I just had that cyclists may be the real cause of global warming. In all but the coldest weather I am cooking by the time I get to work. Maybe I should start driving before Greenpeace aims a harpoon at me.

    Cindi

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