On March 26, 2022, people from over 190 countries and territories turned off their lights for one hour, known as Earth Hour. This year marks the 16th annual celebration of Earth Hour, an initiative launched in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund and its partners in Sydney, Australia, to raise awareness about climate change.
According to the organization, Earth Hour is the “largest global grassroots movement for the environment,” aiming to spark global conversations about protecting nature, tackling the climate crisis, and shaping a brighter future for all. By turning off the lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in each respective local time zone, people participate in a symbolic move to increase awareness about climate change.
The Earth Hour movement has led to other tangible actions related to curbing climate change. For instance, the WWF’s chapter in Uganda created the first “Earth Hour Forest” in 2013, while Argentina used its 2013 Earth Hour campaign to help pass a Senate bill for 8.4 million acres of protected marine area.
The Earth Hour campaign has played an important role in raising awareness about climate change, but given the scale of the crisis, the actions that we take—both in our daily lives and on a larger scale—need to go beyond symbolic gestures. In 2015, world leaders made a pledge to work together towards reducing global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century. However, recent scientific reports indicate that the planet could cross the 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius thresholds sooner than we thought.
The WWF describes turning off the lights as a “symbolic” way to raise awareness about climate change, but this move alone cannot provide a solution to the looming climate crisis. It is critical that we use this symbolic gesture to reflect on the need for more concrete action. The planet is facing an unprecedented environmental crisis, and we need to act in ways that go beyond symbolic gestures.
One way to do this is by using the lights-off hour to actively take positive actions for the planet. This could mean reading about biodiversity or climate change, spending time outdoors to connect with nature, or sharing information about climate change with others.
The reality is that tackling climate change requires collective action, and it is only by coming together that we can hope to make a difference. While Earth Hour is a symbolic gesture, it is a powerful reminder of the need to work together towards a sustainable future. We need more than just symbolic gestures to curb climate change; we need to take meaningful action and hold our leaders accountable for their actions for the sake of our planet and future generations.
<< photo by David McBee >>