Earth Hour 2023: Date, History, Facts about The Environment

Earth Hour began as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 with the intention of engaging each individual in the struggle against climate change.

Earth Hour, which is observed annually on the last Saturday of March, gives us the opportunity to improve the environment in just one hour. The World Wide Fund for Nature (W.W.F.) created Earth Hour, which is conducted annually and encourages individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. as a symbol of their commitment to the environment.

The background of Earth Hour

Earth Hour began as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 with the intention of engaging each individual in the struggle against climate change. Earth Hour is now a global event that encourages everyone to turn off non-essential electric lights for one hour on the last Saturday of March between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Australia convened with the advertising agency Leo Burnett Sydney in 2004 to discuss ideas for engaging Australians in the issue of climate change. However, the concept of a large-scale off switch was not conceived until 2006, when ‘The Big Flick’ was published. In 2007, with the support of Fairfax Media and Lord Mayor Clover Moore of Sydney, Earth Hour was held on March 31 at 7:30 p.m. local time in Sydney, Australia.

In 2008, Earth Hour 2008 was conducted internationally on March 29 from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time, with over 400 cities and 35 countries participating. For Earth Hour, landmarks around the globe turned off their non-essential lighting, and even Google’s homepage went dark. Megawatt-hours and carbon dioxide emissions were drastically reduced in countries and cities that participated.

In years when Holy Saturday falls on the last Saturday of March or when other cultural events are observed, Earth Hour is occasionally held one week earlier than usual. Multiple nations and individuals have participated since 2008, transforming this event into one of the world’s largest environmental grassroots movements.

Participating in Earth Hour’s switch off reminds us that even modest actions can have a significant impact, as millions of people around the world turn off their lights to demonstrate concern for the future of our planet.

Environment and Ecology: Environmental Science, Air Pollution

5 FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT

Every day, approximately 27,000 trees are taken down to produce toilet paper.

A single bovine can emit between 200 and 400 pounds of methane gas annually through burps and flatulence, which is twenty times more potent than carbon dioxide gas.

Approximately five million tons of crude produced annually ends up in the oceans.

Currently, less than 4% of American forests remain.

Only 1% of the world’s water supply is functional, while the remaining 97% consists of oceans and 2% is frozen.