Earth Hour today: Switch off lights to conserve planet

LEAD Pakistan Saturday will observe Earth Hour with a ceremony of lighting the candles to show their commitment to saving the planet.

CEO, LEAD Pakistan, and Director Asia, Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), Ali Tauqeer Sheikh while speaking in a discussion at LEAD House said, “Earth Hour is not about switching off lights for an hour, but it’s a commitment to play a role in the conservation of planet, by conserving energy and combating climate change.

Our dream is that one day when we switch on the lights, we’ll not be using fossil fuels.”

The CEO, LEAD Pakistan urged all people, including stakeholders in environmental conservation and climate change to support conservation of the planet, by celebrating earth hour, a voluntary grass roots movement, celebrated globally, to inspire people to protect the planet, by taking steps in daily lives, which resonate to bigger impacts.

‘Simple steps, like not wasting water in our daily use, switching over from plastic bags to paper bags, and curtailing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by reforming habits, from resorting to energy efficient travel and energy efficient lifestyles, can help conserve life on earth. It is important for Pakistan to celebrate earth hour and vow for greater climate action’, CEO said.

According to German Watch’s Global Climate Risk Index 2016 report, Pakistan ranks number five in the list of top ten countries, most vulnerable to Climate Change. Floods, droughts, energy crisis, food shortages, endemic diseases, mass migration, economic deterioration and ecosystem degradation, are among the major threats of Climate Change. Small beginnings can achieve greater results, through integrated efforts.

Earth Hour is a message that we need to conserve our planet by reforming our attitudes and approach at all levels. We should be an energy and resource efficient nation, than otherwise,’ said Chief Knowledge Officer, LEAD Pakistan, Syed Hasan Akhtar Rizvi.

Participants pledged improvement in their personal lives to help conserve planet, such as repair of dripping water taps in their homes and cutting up on and efficient use of energy-based products.

Earth Hour, a charitable organization, is an open source movement, organized by civil society organisations, which initially began, as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007, to sensitize people on the issue of Climate Change.

Since then, it has become a global movement, mobilized by people around the world, to initiate dialogue, about what individals can do, to address grave environmental issues, the planet faces today. Today the movement has gone beyond Climate Change, to symbolize the growing global pursuit of a better, sustainable world.

Last year, earth hour was celebrated by more than 1.8 billion people, in over 172 countries and territories and 7,000 cities worldwide. In Pakistan, more than 500 landmarks celebrated earth hour by switching off their lights.

This year, earth hour will be celebrated on 19 March 2016, from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, to advocate for greater environmental action, by switching off unnecessary lights.