Earth Hour Shines a Light on Climate Action

This year, Earth Hour celebrates the power of the sun.

Earth Hour starts Saturday March 19 (Photo Courtesy: World Wildlife Fund, India)

On 12 December 2015, the world cheered as 195 nations signed a new international agreement towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient world. This pivotal moment at the Paris Climate Conference comes nearly ten years after the launch of Earth Hour, a movement born out of the need to raise awareness about climate change. From a token switch-off event in 2007, Earth Hour has grown to achieve global participation in over 172 countries, leading to positive environmental impact, including legislation changes by harnessing the power of the crowd.

With the realization of its preliminary objective of initiating a conversation centering on climate change, in its tenth year, Earth Hour 2016 is a call for governments, organizations and people to move from discourse and discussion to concrete climate action. Earth Hour 2016 will be celebrated on Saturday, 19 March from 8:30 to 9:30 pm, local time.

National monuments will go dark during Earth Hour (Photo Courtesy: World Wildlife Foundation)

In India, the focus of the campaign this year is on the potential of solar energy as a viable and renewable source of power. Earth Hour is calling on citizens across the country to support not only the campaign by switching off non-essential lights for the hour, but also the government’s pledge to move toward renewable energy for a sustainable future. Blessed with approximately 300 clear sunny days, India has the capacity to harness 5,000 trillion kWh of energy per year – a lot more than the country’s total annual energy requirement. WWF-India’s Earth Hour campaign advocates a solar-powered future by urging its supporters to “go solar”.

The campaign is being endorsed this year by cricketer Shikhar Dhawan.

I believe climate change is the biggest global problem that we face today. It is a problem that we need to solve together. Like cricket, Earth Hour brings people together. I would urge people to come together and find newer, smarter ways to help save the planet.

Shikhar Dhawan

Dhawan also asked cricket fans all over the country to switch off all other non-essential lights for the hour and watch the historic India Pakistan T20 ICC World Cup match scheduled for 19 March in the dark.

As we chase our dream of becoming World Champions again, we are counting on you to help us realize our dream of a greener planet! Let’s stand together against climate change.

Dhawan

The Earth Hour campaign has received a lot of support from various corners of the country over the years, and its messaging and open-source model encourages participation in a symbolic switch-off, leading people to adopt sustainable practices in order to conserve the finite resources of our planet. This year, Earth Hour will reach out to people to promote the benefits of solar energy, encouraging everyone to make a switch to solar energy through rooftop solar solutions.

With the Paris agreement, the world is now looking at responsible and shared climate action towards creating a sustainable future. The Earth Hour movement spans across the country, making concerted efforts towards creating awareness on renewable energy amongst individuals, corporates and other decision-makers.

Mr. Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO, WWF-India

Solar energy tends to pay for itself fairly soon since the average life of solar panels is around 25 years. (Photo: iStockphoto)

As India’s most iconic landmarks like the India Gate, Gateway of India, the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the Lotus Temple, among others, prepare to switch off their lights for Earth Hour, Earth Hour 2016 has also received support from the government, corporates and organizations across the country, and celebrities like Shikhar Dhawan, Amitabh Bachchan, Harsha Bhogle, Sania Mirza, Rana Duggabati, Anirudh, Venkatesh Prasad and Parambrata Chatterjee, among others.

The Department of Environment and Forests, Govt. of NCT of Delhi, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and BSES are supporting the campaign in Delhi. The campaign is also being supported by merchandising partner Benetton, hospitality partners JW Marriott, online retail partner eBay, digital OOH media partner OOH Cares, print partner Dainik Bhaskar Group, other media partners Discovery Networks and Star Pravah, Delhi Cyclothon and Walkathon partner Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Company, support partner Firefox Bikes, celebrity management partner, Cornerstone and other supporters like Times OOH, GVK, GMR and Indigo.

Apart from the above, numerous other corporations and organizations across the country are also pledging their support online at earthhour.in for the cause.