On Saturday, March 25 at 8:30 p.m., millions of people around the world will unite to show they care about the future of our planet, by turning off the lights for an hour. Do you find this action unnecessary?
The Earth Hour story
In 2004, faced with scientific discoveries, WWF Australia came up with an idea with an advertising agency to engage Australians on the issue of climate change. WWF Australia pitched their concept to Fairfax Media who, along with then Sydney Mayor Clover Moore, agreed to support the event. Earth Hour 2007 took place on March 31 in Sydney, Australia at 7:30 p.m. local time.
Eath Hour was held internationally for the first time on March 29, 2008, and 35 countries around the world participated in the event. Monuments around the world have turned off their lights.
Earth Hour in the Philippines
This year 2023 will be the 15th time that the Philippines will observe “Earth Hour”. It is one of 193 countries and territories joining in the celebration.
In partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the city of Quezon City in the Philippines will join more than 7,000 cities from 193 countries in commemorating what is considered one of the largest grassroots environmental movements in the world. .
The city of Quezon City in the Philippines will host the Earth Hour
Angela Ibay, WWF-Philippines Climate and Energy Program Manager said, “The Philippines has repeatedly been on the list of countries most vulnerable to climate change. Many do not realize that nature is the secret ally of our climate. We want Filipinos to not only appreciate what we have, but also what we stand to lose. So, we all need to be responsible for our future and hopefully we will change the ending for the positive, both for people and for the planet.”
A move to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Beyond the symbolic gesture of turning off the lights for 60 minutes, Earth Hour participants are also invited to join the movement launched by WWF around the world to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. It is important to know that by adopting a few simple and automatic gestures, you can, like millions of people, save energy while preserving the environment. And this without compromising your daily comfort!
This universal event is symbolic and aims to awaken everyone’s conscience in order to ensure our future. The goal is not to cut all the electricity but simply to turn off the light (at least those which are not essential: exit red lights and other public lighting…) to be seen.
Intensive agriculture, soil degradation, overfishing, climate change, plastic pollution: the main threats to biodiversity today – the loss and degradation of their habitats and overexploitation – are linked to human activities.
In France, several cities are associated with this event
In France, on March 25 at 8:30 p.m., the most emblematic monuments of France will go out for 60 minutes. Paris, but also Bordeaux, Rouen, Grenoble, Strasbourg, Tours and La Rochelle also responded to mobilize by our side. A symbolic gesture to show their support for the home we all share: the planet.
Turning off the lights for an hour remains a symbolic gesture. It would be possible to amplify the movement through other actions during the year. But at least more and more cities and countries are joining in this event. We are all affected by the degradation of our planet.
