Discuss the significance of Earth Hour hosted by WWF and its outcomes.(150 Words)
Refer - Earth Hour WWF
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 6 years
KEY POINTS
· Earth Hour is the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment where citizens around the world unite to take a stand against climate change by turning off non-essential lights for one hour.
· Earth Hour is a global initiative of the World Wide Fund for Nature India (WWF), with a record participation of around 180 countries and territories around the world.
Significance
· Earth Hour 2019 with its campaign ‘#Connect2Earth’ aims to build mass awareness on why nature is important and create an unstoppable movement for nature similar to when the world came together to tackle climate change.
· It shows the world that millions of people worldwide care about climate change and nature loss, and everyone has a role to play in tackling these issues.
· Earth Hour has inspired millions to support and participate in critical climate and environmental initiatives, helping drive climate policy, awareness and action worldwide.
· Earth hour also recognise the important role children and youth play in creating a more sustainable world.
Outcomes
· The movement helped create a 3.5 million hectare marine-protected area in Argentina and a 2,700-hectare Earth Hour forest in Uganda.
· Banned all plastics in the Galapagos in 2014, planted 17 million trees in Kazakhstan.
· Light up homes with solar power in India and the Philippines, and push new legislation for the protection of seas and forests in Russia.
· French Polynesia moved to protect 5 million square kilometres of its seas to preserve ocean ecosystems.
