Posted on March, 10 2017

SINGAPORE/GLAND - Ten years after the world’s first Earth Hour in Sydney put climate change in the spotlight, WWF’s landmark movement is set to once again unite millions of people around the globe to shine a light on climate action. As the planet continues to witness climate records being broken and the need for greater ambition and commitment accelerates, the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment is mobilizing individuals, communities and organizations globally to do their part to help change climate change.
 
Starting in 2007 as a single-city event, Earth Hour is now celebrated across all continents. In the past decade, as global climate efforts gained momentum, Earth Hour has helped bridge the gap between the grassroots and the corridors of power, taking climate action from conference rooms to living rooms. It has empowered millions to support and participate in critical climate and conservation projects led by WWF and many others, helping drive climate policy, awareness and action.
 
From the shores of Argentina where Earth Hour helped mobilize public support for the creation of a 3.4 million hectare-wide marine protected area, to the heart of Uganda where local communities and businesses helped create the first Earth Hour forest, the movement’s impact has been a game-changer for popularizing climate action.
 
“We started Earth Hour in 2007 to show leaders that climate change was an issue people cared about. For that symbolic moment to turn into the global movement it is today, is really humbling and speaks volumes about the powerful role of people in issues that affect their lives,” said Siddarth Das, Executive Director, Earth Hour Global. “Every flick of a switch or click on Facebook timelines is a reminder that people see themselves as an integral part of climate action and it is this kind of collective determination we need to tackle the most pressing environmental challenge our planet has ever faced.”
 
In 2017, WWF and Earth Hour teams around the world will be using the movement to shine a light on the climate issue most relevant in their country or region. In Europe, as the European Union negotiates on crucial climate and energy policy for the period leading up to 2030, WWF will use the Donate Your Feed platform to mobilize public support- and their Facebook posts – to call for a clean, renewable energy future for all. In Brazil, people will be invited to join forces to protect one of the country’s many biodiversity hotspots from climate change while citizens in South Africa will raise their voice for renewable energy and in China, WWF is working with businesses to encourage a shift toward sustainable lifestyles.
 
“Depending on where you may be, climate change has different faces or impacts but the reality remains the same: the time to change climate change is now,” added Das. “Our actions today will define tomorrow - WWF’s Earth Hour shows us that together we can create the sustainable future we desire, and our children deserve.”
 
Earth Hour 2017 will take place on Saturday 25 March at 8:30 p.m. local time.

As skylines darken, people will also be invited to take a stand for climate action on their Facebook timelines through the Donate Your Feed platform. Supporters can share their commitment to the planet by donating five Facebook posts on their timeline to Earth Hour on www.earthhour.org/climateaction.
 
Log on to www.earthhour.org to know more and read additional stories and individuals using the Earth Hour movement to shine a light on climate action. This is our time to change climate change.
 
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Notes to Editors:
Link to Earth Hour's 10 years of impact video: https://youtu.be/CZp4LX4AYnM
Link to Earth Hour’s 10-year journey animation video: ehour.me/EH-Animation
Link to Earth Hour’s ‘The Future Starts Today’ video: http://ehour.me/FutureStartsToday2017
Link to photos of previous Earth Hour events and impacts: http://hive.panda.org/Share/ui0736175nh2qk8pu051p45k75n2365m
To know more about WWF’s work on climate policy and action, please visit http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/climate_carbon_energy/
 
For more information, please contact:
Rucha Naware, WWF International: rnaware@wwfint.org; +32465751339