Earth Hour movement came back bigger in 2023, engaging more countries worldwide in a switch-off movement in a bid to address the climate crisis.
The Earth Hour movement, which made a comeback on Saturday, March 25, was marked by even more people around the world, including recognized landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, and Beijing National Speed Skating Hall, among others. Collectively, the movement brought together communities as well as businesses from over 190 countries.
Millions of people took part in the light-off experience, switching off their lights for at least an hour to concentrate on activities that conserve the earth’s environment.
According to the Director General of WWF International Dr Kirsten Schuijt, the Earth Hour movement in 2023 created the biggest hour of the earth yet, bringing together more people than ever before for positive impacts on the earth.
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“Earth Hour is a fantastic celebration of people, the planet, and nature. This year we created the Biggest Hour for Earth yet! , asking everyone to “switch off” – their lights or their daily habits – and spending 60 minutes doing something for the planet instead. Together, we can turn a single Earth Hour into millions of hours of inspiration, inviting millions of people to act, and making millions more take notice. Our one shared home needs our help and we can ALL play a part in protecting it.” Dr Kirsten said.
This year’s movement was especially dedicated to remembering victims of the cyclone Freddy that pummeled Malawi, killing over 200 people. Mozambique has also been subject to harsh cyclone Idai that caused over 1500 deaths in the country.
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Turkey was the latest country to suffer immeasurable losses from natural disasters, after experiencing an earthquake on February 6, that resulted in the deaths of over 46,000 people.
Earth Hour seeks to address these natural disasters caused as a result of the current climate crisis affecting the world. Human Rights advocates claim that the least contributors to climate change such as the poor are the most affected by these natural disasters.
Earth Hour is a movement organized by the World Wildlife Fund, (WWF) and is held annually. Every last Saturday of March communities, businesses, and homes switch off their non-essential electric lights from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm as a symbol of love and commitment to the Earth. This movement was started back in Sydney, Australia in 2007 as a lights-off event.
It is based solely on addressing climate change, and loss of nature, and encouraging global initiatives directed towards the conservation of the earth’s environment.