Earth Hour is an initiative by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) to combat global climate change by asking individuals, communities, businesses and governments to turn off their lights for one hour on the last Saturday of March, from 20:30-21:30, to show their support for action on climate change. Climate change caused by excessive carbon dioxide emissions is now a major threat to the survival of human beings on Earth. We can only mitigate the effects of this threat by changing the attitudes of the global population towards CO2 emissions.
Vision
The goal of Earth Hour 2009 is for as many individuals, families and businesses as possible to participate by turning off lights and other appliances for one hour.
Earth Hour aims to educate the global community about the threat of climate change and to make them aware of how small actions by individuals and businesses can have a profound impact on the environment in which they live - small changes can make a big difference. Small changes can make a big difference.
At the same time, Earth Hour provides a global opportunity for leaders attending the United Nations climate change talks in Copenhagen in December 2009 to agree on a new global climate change agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol.
Development
Earth Hour was first observed in Sydney, Australia, on March 31, 2007, at 8:00 p.m. On that night, more than 2.2 million homes and businesses in Sydney turned off their lights and electrical appliances for one hour. Afterward, the electricity saved by turning off the lights for one hour was enough to power 200,000 televisions for one hour and 50,000 cars for one hour. More people who participated reported that they could see several times more stars than usual that night.
From that limited beginning, Earth Hour quickly swept the globe with surprising speed. Just one year later, Earth Hour has been recognized as one of the world's largest efforts to combat climate change, and has become a global and ongoing event. on March 29, 2008, as many as 50 million people in 35 countries participated, proving that individual actions, when taken together, can make a difference in the world! Earth Hour China Launch Ceremony 2009
In 2009, Earth Hour came to China! ! Baoding, known as the "Electricity Valley of China", was the first city in China to officially announce its participation in the event. In addition, WWF officially confirmed the participation of other cities in mainland China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Nanjing, Shunde, Hangzhou, Changsha, Changchun, Hong Kong, Macao, etc. On the evening of March 28, 2009, from 20:30 to 21:30, the above cities **** acted together and turned off their lights for one hour. More than 3,000 cities in more than 80 countries and regions around the world **** together to create this beautiful "dark moment", **** together to contribute to the Earth's tomorrow.
To this end, the lights were turned off for one hour at England's National Football Museum, the world's tallest hotel, the Burj Dubai, the National Television Tower of Canada in Toronto, the Federal Building in Moscow, and the Quirinal Palace in Rome, the official residence of the President of Italy*** and of the State. The iconic Victoria Pier in Hong Kong also turned off its lights for an hour to show its commitment to combating climate change.
At home, the number of cities and buildings participating in the campaign is also snowballing. Nearly 80 high-rise buildings, including the Baoding Municipal Government Building, China's first solar-powered photovoltaic building, the Jinjiang International Hotel in the Electric Valley, Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, Dalian's Xinghai Plaza, Nanjing's Xuanwu Lake and Xinjiekou, and Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Tower, all turned off their lights on March 28 to show their commitment to combating climate change. high-rise buildings all turned off their lights at 8:30 p.m. on March 28; Beijing's new landmarks, the Bird's Nest, the Water Cube and the Linglong Tower, also joined in. Beijing's new landmarks, the Bird's Nest, the Water Cube and the Linglong Tower, will also join in. The tallest building on Chang'an Avenue, the Yintai Center, will also have its "lantern" landscape lights turned off. The lanterns will be turned off and become a symbol of the cities' participation in the campaign and their support for global warming mitigation. In addition, individuals, communities and businesses in many cities are actively organizing and promoting the event.
Nahua, deputy country director of the United Nations Development Program, said, "The impact of climate change on human beings knows no boundaries, and whether rich or poor, each of us is equally vulnerable to climate change. In the fight against climate change, it is very important for governments, individuals and social organizations to work together. Each of us is a villager in the global village, and by turning off our lights for just one hour, we can all make a real contribution to reducing carbon emissions and changing the future of the planet."
Andy Reid, Global Executive Director of Earth Hour, said, "Recent events have shown that the world can come together in times of crisis, and the global economic crisis is a great example of this. 2009 is the year that will determine the future of the planet. 2009 is the year that will determine the future of the planet, a year in which the world's major countries will develop plans for massive reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. This also provides a great opportunity to invest in new low-carbon economic models. We must all work together to make these changes happen. Our ****ed actions can change history and secure the future of the planet." Li Bingbing, Earth Hour China Ambassador
Earth Hour has also made positive progress since its launch in China at the end of last year, with hundreds of companies, including Coca-Cola and Canon, already joining the campaign. IKEA, Walmart, New World China Land and others in Beijing and Shanghai also used different ways to participate in the day's activities. JCDecaux China also provided free advertising space on bus bodies and subway light boxes in Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin in support of Earth Hour.
In addition, a series of public service announcements (PSAs) featuring Earth Hour China's ambassador Li Bingbing were also unveiled, and on the evening of March 28, Li Bingbing joined in the "One Hour Lights Out" campaign. Li Bingbing said, "The earth is our home, and everyone has the responsibility to conserve energy. I hope I can use my power to call on more people to join this meaningful activity and express our determination to combat climate change."
Baoding joins in
"China's Electric Valley" joins Earth Hour -
February 23, 2009, just a few days before "More than a month before Earth Hour, Baoding, Hebei Province, known as "China's Electricity Valley", officially announced that it would join the event and turn off its lights for one hour at 8:30 p.m. on March 28, 2009, becoming the first city in mainland China to officially announce that it was joining the event. It became the first city in mainland China to officially announce its participation in the campaign.
The Chief Representative of WWF China, Mr. Ou Dameng, said, "We are very pleased to see Baoding joining Earth Hour, as the global issue of climate change requires the concerted efforts of all people. Baoding has made remarkable achievements in low carbon development and is ahead of global cities, and we hope that more Chinese cities will join the lights out campaign and the global action on low carbon development."
Baoding, as one of the first pilot cities of WWF's "China Low Carbon City Development Program" (the other being Shanghai), has made certain achievements in the construction of low carbon cities in the past year, and Baoding is now combining the characteristics of its own industrial structure to create the "China Electricity Valley", vigorously developing new energy sources as well as new energy sources. Currently, Baoding is building the "China Electricity Valley" with its industrial structure, vigorously developing a low-carbon economy based on new energy and new energy equipment manufacturing, advocating a low-carbon lifestyle, and building a low-carbon city and ecological civilization. Launching Ceremony of "Earth Hour" Activity in Baoding
On the evening of March 28, 2009, the Baoding Municipal Government held the "Earth Hour" activity launching ceremony at the Jinjiang International Hotel of the Electric Valley, China's first solar photovoltaic mansion in the Hi-tech Zone. On the evening of March 28, 2009, Baoding Municipal Government held the "Earth Hour" kick-off ceremony at the Jinjiang International Hotel in the Hi-Tech Zone, China's first solar PV building. At the same time, Olympic champion Pang Wei attended the ceremony as the spokesman of Baoding Earth Hour.
Baoding City is committed to fully participate in the "Earth Hour" activities, Baoding's universities and colleges, primary and secondary schools, streets and communities, enterprises and government agencies to participate in different forms of lights out activities, and at the same time to carry out a series of energy-saving and emission reduction of publicity and advocacy activities, with the help of the activities to enhance the awareness of the whole population of energy saving in Baoding,**** the same The program is designed to promote the construction of a "low-carbon city".
Baoding Municipal Development and Reform Commission revealed that the participation in the "Earth Hour" activities, is an important initiative in the process of building a low-carbon city in Baoding, hoping that through the "lights out for an hour" way to raise awareness of climate change, so that the energy saving It is hoped that by turning off the lights for one hour, people will pay more attention to climate change and make the concept of energy saving, environmental protection, building a low-carbon city and cherishing natural resources more popular.
Baoding Development and Reform Commission also called on Baoding citizens to choose an hour, consciously turn off the lights (does not affect the public **** safety lighting, street lamps, traffic lights, etc., except), and disconnect the power supply of all household appliances, such as cell phone chargers, televisions, microwaves, MP3 players, computer monitors and printers, etc. On the evening of March 28th, the Baoding Municipal Government Building, the landscape lights around the city also turned off for an hour. The main officials of the municipal government and citizens participated in and witnessed this global action. Hebei University, North China Electric Power University, Hebei Agricultural University and other eight universities in Baoding college students have been preparing for a long time "college students environmental protection alliance" will be formally established on the 28th day of this day. In the afternoon of that day, they started in the Baoding Military Academy Square, the alliance founding ceremony. In addition, they also carried out a variety of publicity activities, such as through flyers, display boards, banners, initiatives, etc. to introduce the public to the "Earth Hour" activities, global climate change related to general knowledge. A number of colleges and universities within the Alliance warmed up for Earth Hour on their campuses through broadcasting stations, board posters and other forms. Many college clubs said they would turn off their lights for one hour in their dormitories on the night of the 28th to contribute to the "creation of a green Baoding".
Yu Qun, mayor of Baoding, said: "As a Chinese city with a population of more than 11 million, Baoding is working hard to build a low-carbon city. Participating in 'Earth Hour', a global environmental event, and turning off the lights is just a small action, but it has great symbolic significance. In the future, Baoding will join other cities around the world that are committed to low-carbon sustainable development, advocate the harmonious development of human beings and nature, and take active action."
Starting a boom
Earth Hour is a global initiative. The event began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia. At the time, more than 2 million households and businesses volunteered to turn off their lights for one hour. A year later, Earth Hour has become a global and growing event, driven by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), with more than 3,000 cities in more than 80 countries and territories participating in 2009.
The diesel generators on the Chatham Islands, off the east coast of New Zealand, were switched off at 20:30 on March 28, marking the start of Earth Hour 2009, the world's most spectacular collective event to date. Sydney before and after the lights went out
Dairne Poole, WWF's head of Earth Hour in New Zealand, sees her country's initiative as playing an integral role in an event that touches 1 billion people, more than 1,000 cities and 25 time zones around the world. role.
The "Lights Out Relay" in thousands of cities around the world started in New Zealand, moved to Sydney, and then on to Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Baoding, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, Mumbai and New Delhi in Asia.
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Coca-Cola billboards at the Colosseum and Times Square in Rome, England's National Football Museum, the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest hotel, the Canadian National Television Tower in Toronto, the Federal Building in Moscow, and Quirinal Palace, the official residence of Italy's **** and President of Italy Giorgio Napolitano, all in Rome. Le Palace, among others, all turned off their lights for 60 minutes.
Starting in Asia, Earth Hour provides a platform for people in 25 time zones around the world to express their concern for the environment and combat climate change. Whether on the streets of Cape Town or the slopes of Los Angeles, Earth Hour brings people from all corners of the world together in the Bird's Nest National Stadium before and after the lights go out to embark on a journey to combat global warming.
Baoding, China, led by its mayor, witnessed this beautiful moment of darkness. Beijing's new landmarks, the Bird's Nest, the Water Cube and the Linglong Tower, Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower and the World Financial Center, Nanjing's Xuanwu Lake, the Jiangsu TV Tower, and nearly 80 high-rise buildings in key districts also joined with many of the world's most famous buildings in turning out the lights.
Paris, the "city of light," turned out the lights on several world-famous buildings during Earth Hour, including the Eiffel Tower. And in Greece, thousands of Athenians joined together for Earth Hour to show their support for slowing global warming.
New York, Washington, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Mexico City and Las Vegas are among the major cities in the Americas that will **** together to make their voices heard for the environment under the long-overdue starlight.
WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) chief representative Odamon said before the event: "Earth Hour is entering the sprint stage, the global city lights off relay more and more participants. WWF hopes that more Chinese cities to participate in this urban relay, *** with the water cube before and after the lights off to show that everyone's efforts to combat climate change and determination. "
In March, an email with the subject line "March 28, 2009, 8:30-9:30 pm, please turn off the lights for one hour" was circulated on the Internet, and was forwarded and passed on by many netizens. On the Chinese Internet, where there are 300 million netizens, activities and discussions related to Earth Hour are in full swing.
It is reported that many large websites have opened special web pages to report on the event in the form of special topics and editions. Some sites also launched a personalized home page on March 28, the background of the page will be added with the "switch" button on the page from "light" to "dark", so that more Internet users can also participate in the discussion. The personalized homepage will have a background that changes from "light" to "dark" with the addition of a "switch" button on the page, so that more Internet users can participate in Earth Hour.
In the online discussion boards and forums, netizens expressed their views. Some netizens intend to take advantage of this rare hour to "bring a flashlight, go for a walk downstairs", or "go out on the balcony, look up at the starry sky, one by one, counting stars"; some netizens suggest a nostalgic hand, to revisit the childhood games, and to find a few good friends to play in the evening. Eagles catching chicks, hide and seek, play house ...... experience a childhood again; there are netizens proposed with close people *** into the candlelight dinner, and neighbors, colleagues to carry out the "storytelling contest"; there are also lights out before and after the Oriental Pearl TV Tower netizens would like to be alone! People quiet down, practice yoga, or think about things ......
At a time, the network also popular "12 constellations after lights out program", some netizens also create different versions of the lights out program, for example, to enjoy the version! -- point on the aroma, patch mask, bubble feet; warm version -- light candles at home and family nagging; pet version -- cloaked in the night to walk the dog; humor version -- like "Do Not Disturb" in the Gertrude, in the dark to confess a little, from kindergarten to do down all those environmentally unfriendly, bring harm to the earth behavior counting out.
Most netizens expressed support for Earth Hour. Everyone sees this unplugged hour as a chance to bond, a rare opportunity to return to and get closer to nature. Lang Lang, the famous pianist, suggested listening to music, "Enjoying music in a dark environment is a better way to concentrate and be completely involved in the melody. At that moment, you will be y moved and will trigger the imagination."
In fact, "Earth Hour" also aroused the "****ing" of all walks of life. HSBC's 37 countries around the world turned off their office lights on the evening of the 28th; Canon also turned off their landscape lighting, called on their employees to go home and turn off their lights, and placed posters of the event in more than 700 dealerships; Jinjiang Star's 240 stores across the country, and Capitol Land's 44 owned properties across the country turned off their landscape lighting; the Hyatt Regency Shanghai turned off their "green rooms" during Earth Hour in their The Hyatt Regency Shanghai held an Earth Hour night in its "Green Room" during Earth Hour, lighting candles and inviting guests to drink for free to **** off the hour; New World Malls, Ikea, and Walmart in Beijing and Shanghai turned off their landscape lighting to advocate green consumption with their customers... ...
Students from more than 100 colleges and universities across the country were also showcasing ideas to tackle climate change that day. Unplugged concerts, stargazing in the dark, children's graffiti contests and candlelight messages from individuals, businesses, communities and schools all culminated in Earth Hour.
[edit]Ways to Spend Earth Hour
Here are ten ways WWF suggests you can spend Earth Hour to reduce your carbon footprint:
Participate in your local Earth Hour event, or start your own! Participate in a local Earth Hour event, or have your own Earth Hour party and invite your neighbors; Gather your friends and family and enjoy a night picnic in the park with a view of the stars; it's an hour of star gazing; Enjoy a candlelit dinner at home; Organize a scavenger hunt in the dark; Walk your dog in the evening; Relax and bathe by candlelight; Sit around in the dark and tell stories together; Organize a family night out, playing chess or games; Have a romantic night out with your loved one; Record the story of what happened in that hour with a video camera or camcorder and upload it to /groups/earthhour2009global/ to share with everyone.[edit]Significance
In 2008, Sydney's energy consumption fell by 8.4% during Earth Hour, the equivalent of 1.6 million light bulbs going out. Christchurch, the only city in New Zealand to officially participate in the event, released figures showing a nearly 13 percent reduction in energy consumption for the hour.
There is no doubt that the publicity effect of the lights out show is far greater than the actual reduction in emissions. In the global "lights out show" relay, more people began to realize the importance of energy saving and emission reduction, and in their own way to participate in this activity.
Stephanie Weirick, a consultant for a steel company in Peoria, Illinois, USA, used an hour of lights out to throw a party for her friends with the theme "B YOC", that is, "Bring Your Candle". 42-year-old Stephanie Weirick had this experience.
In 2008, with the arrival of Earth Hour, citizens in many famous cities around the world, from Fiji and New Zealand to Australia, Asia, Europe and the Americas, began to enjoy candlelight dinners in name only. Among them, the iconic Cathedral in New Zealand's third largest city, Crystal, was the first to turn off its lights under the auspices of its mayor. Hundreds of local people watched a documentary focusing on environmental protection in Cathedral Square, and then flocked together to local restaurants and bars. The place was all lit up for a candlelit dinner. Thousands of families also began romantic candlelit rendezvous in their homes.
A restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand, temporarily suspended hot food and drinks that needed to be heated at the time of the lights out, but the restaurant was still filled to capacity with people who had gone for the candlelight feast. The Sheraton Hotel in Chicago had a twist when it turned out the lights and offered guests glowing ice cubes in the lobby.
Many people looked up at the sky to see the stars in a square in the Danish capital, Copenhagen. A spokesman for the World Wide Fund for Nature in Denmark said, "I'm afraid there aren't many days in the city when you can look at the stars."
In Phoenix Park in Dublin, Ireland, the Astronomical Society of Ireland has set up large telescopes in the hope that people will take advantage of the moment when the city lights go out to see the "brilliant stars". Some of the best uses of time are found in Chicago buildings such as the John Hancock Center, where managers have permanently replaced hundreds of incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs during lights-out hours.
Famous pianist Lang Lang's advice on how to spend this year's March 28 evening hour in a meaningful way is not without humor: "Enjoying music in a dark environment is more highly concentrated and completely devoted to the melody. At that moment, you will be y moved and it will spark the imagination."
"Don't underestimate the importance of turning off the lights for one hour," said Yi Boang, vice president of Bikan Investments in China, "Cities are one of the places that use a lot of electricity, and if you can get cities to turn off unnecessary landscape lights for one hour, the amount of energy that can be saved will be a big number. "
"Just 60 minutes can actually make a big contribution to the earth, because for every kWh of electricity saved, 1 kg of carbon dioxide and 0.03 kg of sulfur dioxide emissions are reduced." A WWF volunteer said.
According to statistics, in 2007, "Earth Hour" started the first year, Sydney, Australia, set the goal of reducing energy consumption by 5 percent; last year, on March 31, Sydney alone to save electricity, enough to 200,000 television sets to use an hour, the equivalent of an hour on the road less than 48,613 cars, energy-saving The effect of energy saving and emission reduction is remarkable.
Yi Boom said Earth Hour is a simple and direct way to unite the world and remind people to stop living and think about how to tackle global warming.
In his view, "small amounts make a lot, and sand makes a tower", in the non-renewable energy is getting less and less today, if more and more cities, enterprises, individuals to participate in 'Earth Hour' and other environmental protection and energy saving activities, and actively take measures, to take their share of responsibility. If more and more cities, enterprises and individuals participate in 'Earth Hour' and other environmental protection and energy saving activities, actively take measures and assume their due responsibilities, it will help promote energy saving and greenhouse gas emission reduction, and further alleviate the environmental problems caused by global warming.
Earth Hour, as an activity to raise public awareness of environmental protection, is just the beginning. For a city that fulfills its Earth Hour pledge, the real significance lies in the changes brought about by turning off the lights and promoting energy conservation and environmental protection.
Earth Hour is more than just a lights-out ceremony. In China, the event is also a way to maximize support for the country's energy efficiency goal of 20% reduction in energy consumption by 2010, and to encourage individuals and businesses to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and take action to combat climate change. Earth Hour is an energy-saving concept that requires our long-term efforts and support to remind ourselves to turn off unnecessary lights and unplug unneeded power sources, whether in the workplace or at home.
The bottom line
In 2008, 5,000 people from 35 countries and regions participated in Earth Hour. The Sydney Opera House, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, and London's Guildhall ...... were among the iconic buildings that were plunged into darkness.
John Rumney is an ecotourism practitioner on the Great Barrier Reef in northern Queensland, Australia. In recent years, Rumne has discovered severe coral reef bleaching at several popular dive sites. Reef bleaching is the result of environmental degradation, the main cause of which is attributed to rising sea temperatures. Other serious threats to coral reefs include overfishing and land-based pollution, which are exacerbated by climate change.
Rumney said: "The health of the Great Barrier Reef is being threatened by deteriorating water quality, largely due to the overuse of fertilizers and the decline of native forests and wetlands. But nonetheless, these are far less than the damage that Earth's climate change is doing to the reef."
"The environment we live in is all interconnected. Everyone knows they shouldn't dump their pesticides, toxic waste and garbage in their neighbor's backyard, and by the same token, no society should release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere willy-nilly."
"My family will be supporting Earth Hour, an event that we hope will make people aware of the obligations that come with being a responsible neighbor to the planet."
NolaRoyce is a snow mountain climber as well as a personal trainer in Albany, N.Y., in the northeastern United States. She has noticed a significant reduction in snow and ice cover since she began snowmobiling in the early 1970s.
Royce said, "I definitely don't check my e-mail when I travel. I don't have to care about what's going on in the world outside of my area. It's a very good experience, and so is turning out the lights. It's a very pleasant and romantic thing to light up with just a candle - provided that it's a suitable person by your side."
"I think it would be nice to be able to turn off the lights more than once a year. Maybe we should do that from time to time, and imagine that we spend a pleasant hour in the dark, and imagine what fun things we could do."
Nicole and Christoph Müller, a German couple who live in northern Sweden's J-mtland county, said older people in northern Sweden have also noticed a dramatic change in snowfall in recent years.
The region recently experienced one of the warmest winters in 108 years of recorded history, NicoleMüller said: "We believe that the Earth Hour initiative does a good job of raising awareness of the threats facing the world. There is not enough awareness of the impact of millions of household appliances such as speakers and televisions, which also consume energy when they are on standby."
Christoph Müller said, "All of this electricity could be saved, resulting in a significant reduction of CO2 and pollutant emissions from power stations. This would be a step towards mitigating the effects of global warming."
Background Information
Earth Hour first began in Sydney on March 31, 2007, when more than 2.2 million Sydney homes and businesses turned off lights and appliances for an hour. By March 2008, more than 270 cities and 50 million people had participated in the event, and in 2009, more than 3,000 cities in more than 80 countries and regions around the world joined Earth Hour. In China, in addition to Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Baoding, more than 10 other cities including Beijing, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Nanning, Nanchang, Wuhan, Hefei, Changchun, Changsha, Xi'an, and Shunde actively responded to the event.
Attachment: Some of the major cities that have confirmed their participation in Earth Hour
The cities in the list of cities that have confirmed their participation have fulfilled at least one of the following conditions
The presence of a landmark to turn off the lights
Mayor's support
The presence of a local celebrity as an ambassador for Earth Hour
The presence of a local celebrity as an ambassador for Earth Hour