EDITORIAL - Biggest Hour for Earth

The Philippines joins around 190 other countries tonight for an hour-long lights out as it confronts an environmental disaster from a sunken tanker that continues to spew toxic industrial oil 400 meters deep in the waters off Mindoro, threatening marine biodiversity and livelihoods.

Earth Hour is a symbolic gesture of global commitment to confront climate change and other environmental problems besetting the planet. From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., millions of people around the world are expected to switch off non-essential lights. Apart from saving energy, the move emphasizes the urgency of united efforts to address global warming and preserve the environment.

With the theme “Biggest Hour for Earth,” this year’s event is seen to be the broadest global lights out since the initiative was launched by the World Wide Fund for Nature or WWF and its partners in 2007 as a grassroots movement in Sydney, Australia. The event is being held as the world emerges from three years of restrictions to contain the deadliest pandemic ever since the 1918 flu outbreak that killed an estimated 50 million people globally.

COVID-19 has killed over 6.8 million people worldwide as of March 24. The illness and mobility restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus slowed down many programs worldwide, including efforts to protect the environment.

This gives more significance to the renewed commitment to save the planet, expressed through participation in the Biggest Hour for Earth today. Various activities have been lined up across the globe, such as planting native trees and cleanup programs, for those who want to contribute more than an hour-long energy switch-off in observing the special event.

Beyond turning off lights for Earth Hour, the event encourages people to make environmental consciousness part of everyday life. Simply picking up litter and implementing energy-saving measures at home and in workplaces can contribute to the effort.

The WWF stresses that Earth Hour has gained more significance in the past 16 years. “Nature needs us. People need us. Our climate needs us,” Chris Conner of the WWF said in preparation for the event. “Earth Hour is an opportunity for us all to come together, not only to celebrate everything our planet provides us, but also to protect it.”