One hour of light off for our planet: New Zealand, Australia and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region heralded the “Earth Hour” for 2023 on Saturday evening at 8.30 p.m. local time. The light was switched off for an hour – and the action is now continuing around the world into Sunday night. The WWF launched the global climate and environmental protection campaign in Australia in 2007 as a sign that humanity must take better care of the earth.
Not only do numerous citizens all over the world switch off their lights for an hour, but also well-known buildings are no longer illuminated for 60 minutes. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has been committed to climate protection for years, also called for participation. The event is a reminder that “everyone can do their part,” Guterres wrote on Twitter.
The City of Vienna also called for participation. Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) appeared in a video on Twitter disguised as a house technician undercover in an “energy-saving mission” in the ministry.
Under the motto “renaturing instead of concreting”, WWF Austria also announced a public painting campaign in Vienna-Neubau at the Human Rights Square on Mariahilfer Strasse. “Lights out!” is the motto from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. “The destruction of nature is reaching dramatic proportions worldwide – our earth urgently needs a break,” said Joschka Brangs, spokesman for biodiversity at WWF Austria. In this context, the NGO pointed out that out of eight million species worldwide, up to one million are threatened with extinction. In Austria, the high level of soil consumption weighs particularly heavily on the last remaining natural areas.
“Landmarks such as Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin or Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro symbolically switch off the lights again. Apart from that, this year we are calling on everyone around the world to get involved and raise awareness of the long-term protection of nature create”, Brangs wished that it would not only remain with the symbolic turning off of the lights. Millions of people in over 190 countries around the world will take part in this again this year.
In addition, people should become active themselves on “Earth Hour” day: “Give the earth an hour and do something – anything – positive for our planet for 60 minutes,” wrote WWF International. Examples included reconnecting with nature outdoors, picking up rubbish on a beach, planting a tree, shopping plastic-free, or watching a documentary about climate change and biodiversity loss.
In New Zealand, meanwhile, the Sky Tower, the observation and telecommunications tower and the Harbor Bridge in Auckland, as well as the parliament building in the capital, Wellington, were shrouded in darkness. The world-famous Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House followed a little later in Sydney, Australia.
“An estimated 200,000 trees are felled in Australia every day. That’s 8,000 trees an hour,” WWF Australia calculated. “Trees are the lungs of our planet and we need them to reverse the effects of climate change. Now is the time to hit the pause button.”
In Malaysia, the Petronas Towers – once the tallest building in the world – had announced their participation. In Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, five iconic structures made the list, including the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha – the country’s national shrine. Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has also asked shopping malls and hotels to hold candlelight activities. (apa/dpa)
