World's landmarks turn lights off to mark Earth Hour 2019

First organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in 2007, Earth Hour is now the world’s largest grassroots movement for saving the environment, with this year’s focus on the challenges facing biodiversity.

A combination image of two photographs of commercial buildings before (top picture) and after (bottom picture) their lights went out for the Earth Hour environmental campaign in Central, Hong Kong, March 30, 2019. [Photo: IC]

Lights out in iconic landmarks

The campaign was first held on March 31, 2007, in Sydney, Australia, which attracted more than 2.2 million Sydney households and businesses. Since then, it has spread around the world with astonishing speed.

More than 180 countries and regions have joined in this year, plunging themselves into darkness for one hour from 8:30 p.m. local time.

From China’s Olympic Tower to France’s Eiffel Tower, Italy’s Colosseum, India’s India Gate, Australia’s Sydney Harbor Bridge… lights of landmarks were switched off.

“Australia has just faced its hottest summer on record and there is no hiding from the fact that our climate is changing,” said Leeanne Enoch, minister for Environment, Queensland.

Individuals and corporation also took part in the symbolic gesture.

A combination image shows the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and the Ferris wheel before (top picture) and after (bottom picture) their lights went out, as seen from Sydney's Luna Park for the Earth Hour environmental campaign, March 30, 2019. [Photo: AFP]

Declining biodiversity matters

Biodiversity has become one of the world’s most concerning environmental issues.

“On average, we’ve seen an astonishing 60% decline in the size of populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians in just over 40 years,” said the Living Planet Report 2018 released by WWF, which means that biodiversity is declining and the health of our planet is deteriorating.

In recent decades, species have been disappearing at a rate 100 to 1,000 times faster than they did hundreds of years ago. Human activity directly poses the greatest threat to biodiversity, according to the report.

“We are living through the Great Acceleration – a unique event in the 4.5 billion-year history of our planet – with exploding human population and economic growth driving unprecedented planetary change through the increased demand for energy, land and water.”

The event aims to alert people of the loss of the world’s biodiversity and the urgency to protect the integrity of the ecosystem, Jean-Paul Paddack, WWF’s Global Initiatives Director, said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency.

The campaign raises people’s awareness of environmental protection, said Paddack. At least in March every year, people from all walks of life, including the government, enterprises, can gather together to pay attention to and discuss the planet’s environment and climate change.

Paddack believes that Earth Hour can be expanded and more people can be mobilized, expecting all countries in the world to participate.