Millions of people in cities across the U.S. and around the globe turned their lights off for one hour Saturday night to make an unprecedented and highly visible global statement in support for action on climate change.
"Earth Hour" was marked on six continents and in more than 400 countries, according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world’s largest conservation organization, which organized and coordinated the inaugural global event.
Major corporations, iconic landmarks, schools, towns and villages united in the effort to raise awareness about climate change, as lights went out at the Sydney Opera House, Wat Arun Buddhist temple in Bangkok; the Coliseum in Rome; the Royal Castle in Stockholm, the Parliament building in Budapest, London’s city hall, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Sears Tower in Chicago and Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
"The true power of Earth Hour can be seen in the tremendous opportunity for individuals, governments, businesses and communities around the world to unite for a common purpose, against a common threat which affects us all," said Carter S. Roberts, president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund. "As the world witnessed on Saturday night, the simple action of turning off lights can inspire people around the world to action, and to making a serious long-term commitment to living more sustainable lives."
The goals of Earth Hour, Roberts said, were to raise awareness of climate change, encourage participants to make long-term commitments to living more sustainable lives, and demonstrate that by working together individuals can make a difference in the fight against this global issue.
Though energy savings for the worldwide event are unknown, ComEd reported that participants in the Chicago area reduced electricity demand by 5%, or roughly 537 megawatt hours, for the Earth Hour, which took place from 8-9 p.m. local time.
That reduction alone accounted for 840,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions that were not released into the atmosphere.
Loading...