Earth Hour is not just a call to switch off the lights
dubai — Many would look at ‘Earth Hour’ as an occasion to switch off unnecessary lights and appliances to raise awareness about climate change and global warming.
But the World Wildlife Fund global movement, marking its 10th year, is a desperate call for societies and governments to tweak their lifestyles to save water and electricity through the simplest gestures, environment experts say.
As 2016 broke multiple records by being the warmest year, the World Meteorological Organization reported that 2017 is moving towards the same direction. On March 23, the 2017 Arctic sea-ice maximum is now the lowest in the 38-year satellite record.
Laila Mostafa Abdullatif, deputy director-general of Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS-WWF), said the call has never been more urgent as “it seems every week a new climate record is broken.”
Good news is, there’s still a window for opportunity to “Change Climate Change.”
Celebrating Earth Hour on Saturday, March 25, under the theme ‘Highlight Climate Action,’ EWSWWF will lead events around the country. Dubai’s landmarks will go dark between 8.30pm and 9.30pm, joining 7,000 cities and 175 countries and territories.
Last year, Earth Hour saw Dubai witness a 222MWh reduction in the consumption of electricity, and a reduction of 96 tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions.
And since the world, including the UAE, came together to prioritise climate change through the Paris Agreement, Abdullatif said it’s now critical that government, business and society play their role in meeting the agreement of keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius. With the UAE’s numerous initiatives to move towards renewable energy, Abdullatif urged residents to take to social media and to #ChangeClimateChange and #EarthHourUAE on the day to spread awareness.
“While homes, landmarks and cities switch off for the hour, the social media world will also see its own equivalent of Earth Hour uniting people behind computers, mobile phones and tablets regardless of where they may be,” said Abdullatif.
Events you can join
Several events will be held around the country to mark the occasion. Long time EWS-WWF partner the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) will host a family-funfilled festival at Bay Avenue Park in Business Bay from 4pm onwards, where the world’s tallest tower Burj Khalifa will switch off its lights and participate in the Earth Hour.
A free shuttle service will be available from Business Bay Metro Station, to and from the event every 15 minutes.
In a similar fashion, the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) in Sharjah will also be hosting a public event starting at 5.30pm on Al Majaz Waterfront. A presentation about environmental awareness, a bicycle ride, a wall painting of the Earth Hour logo and environmental competitions and workshops will be among activities hosted.
As the clock strikes 8.30pm, one million of the five million LED lights of Dubai Garden Glow will be switched off for an hour. In the build-up to the event, authorities will be hosting a musical followed by a peace walk with participants holding candles.
The garden is the outcome of five million LED lights and recyclable products of over 750,000 man hours, contributing to 80 per cent energy saving.