What is the Earth Hour?

About Earth Hour:

• It is a global grassroots movement uniting people to take action on environmental issues and protect the planet.
• It is organized by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
• It was started by WWF and partners as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney in 2007.
• It takes place on the last Saturday of March every year.
• “Earth Hour” encourages people to switch off all lights for an hour, from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time to promote awareness of climate change challenges and energy conservation.
• Governments and companies also participate by turning off non-essential lights in their buildings, monuments, and landmarks to raise awareness about the impact of energy consumption on our planet.
• This symbolic act, known as the ‘lights off’ moment, unites people worldwide in a show of support for the planet and serves as a reminder of the environmental issues facing us.

What is the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)?

• It is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1961 in Morges, Switzerland, to protect endangered species of wildlife and preserve natural habitats.
• Mission: To stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
• WWF works with a broad spectrum of partners, including governments, industry, and local communities, to find solutions to the challenges that face our natural world.

Q1) Why Does the World Celebrate Earth Hour?

The deeper aim of Earth Hour is to encourage individuals, households, communities and businesses to take accountability for their ecological footprint and engage in a dialogue on finding real solutions to challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation as a whole.

Source: From Delhi to Kolkata, how India celebrated Earth Hour- Videos

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