Next Saturday, March 28th, is Earth Hour. Under the motto “We’ll make it happen!” The lights go out worldwide for 60 minutes to set an example for climate protection. The campaign was started by the Australian WWF (World Wide Fund For Nature) in 2007. Every year, thousands of cities in over 180 countries take part – including Germany.
The coming years are crucial for the future of the planet. In order to limit the worst consequences of climate change, global warming should be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius if possible. However, global mean temperatures have already reached this value – time is therefore of the essence. At the same time, changes are needed when it comes to biological diversity: by 2030, ecosystems worldwide should be stabilized and damaged nature restored. But we are only getting closer to this goal very slowly.
Setting an example for the climate
It therefore seems clear that significantly more commitment is needed at all levels. That’s why the environmental organization WWF launched the Earth Hour campaign in 2007. During this event, people all over the world are asked to turn off their lights for an hour – to make a statement. Since then, many famous cities and landmarks around the world have regularly taken part in Earth Hour. The most famous include the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
It’s not about saving electricity, because the campaign has more of a symbolic effect. “Earth Hour aims to spark global conversations about protecting nature, tackling the climate crisis and working together to create a better future for us all,” said the organizers.
Lights out – does nature notice something?
Researchers have already tried to record the effects of Earth Hour. Andreas Jechow from the Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin examined light pollution during Earth Hour 2018. The nighttime scattered light from our artificial lighting can disrupt the habitat of many animals, decimate insects and even affect people’s sleep patterns.
Earth Hour actually showed a short-term decrease in nighttime brightness in the city. However, direct effects on animals or the climate are hardly measurable – among other things because it is only a single hour out of thousands of night hours per year. “The hope is that awareness of the issue of energy consumption and nighttime and nighttime lighting (which is not always needed) will be raised and that people will change their behavior in small steps,” Jechow told National Geographic.
Can there be power outages?
There was already criticism of Earth Hour from the public in 2007, as there were fears that the power grids would not be able to withstand the event, which could potentially lead to major power outages. However, these concerns have not yet been confirmed: there have been no failures in any of the many participating countries in recent years. Experts also consider such scenarios to be unlikely because the actual decline in electricity consumption, even with millions of participants, is comparatively small and can easily be compensated for by the networks.
How can you get involved?
Private individuals, municipalities or companies can take part in Earth Hour. Simply turn off the lights for an hour on March 28th, 2026 at 8:30 p.m. local time and you’re there – but you’re welcome to register in advance on the WWF website. You can also make Earth Hour exciting for children, for example by taking a night hike to the darkened landmarks or by making small lanterns with them.
Source: WWF / Earthhour.org