Earth Hour: Why People Across The World Are Turning Off Their Lights Tonight

Earth Hour–Tonight, for the 15th consecutive year, people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour. It’s part of a grassroots global campaign.

What is Earth Hour?

Earth Hour is an annual tradition created by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2007 in Sydney, Australia. To raise awareness about climate change. Participants in more than 190 countries will turn off their lights for one hour on Saturday.

To show support for the campaign, iconic buildings around the world will turn off their lights, including the Sydney Opera House, the Gateway of India, the Beijing Phoenix Center in China, the Brandenburg Gate in Germany, the Colosseum in Italy, the Empire State Building in the United States, and Christ the Redeemer in Brazil.

What is the purpose of Earth Hour?

WWF describes the event as a symbol of “unity” and “hope” for a sustainable future.

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“Earth Hour aims to increase awareness and spark global conversations on protecting nature, tackling the climate crisis, and working together to shape a brighter future for us all,” the WWF says on the official website.

Other climate-related acts have sprung from the Earth Hour campaign. In Uganda, for example, the WWF established the first “Earth Hour Forest” in 2013. According to the WWF, Argentina used its 2013 campaign to assist approve a Senate bill for a 3.4 million hectares (8.4 million acres) Marine Protected Area.

How can I participate?

From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. in your local time zone, you can participate by turning off your lights.

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Supporters can turn their lights-off hour in seven ways, according to the official website. Including bonding with nature and attending local Earth Hour activities in their towns.

Supporters are also encouraged to “take action beyond the hour. Whether by funding a local WWF project. Participating in Earth Hour campaigns in their own nation. Or initiating the movement in their own community,” according to the WWF.