Earth Hour

Earth Hour or Earth Hour - also known under the heading of light - is the name of an environmental action to increase environmental awareness and support energy conservation and reduction of greenhouse gases symbolic. In 2014, Earth Hour took place on 29 March from 20.30 to 21.30 clock clock instead.

Actions

2007

Sydney

The first Earth Hour originated from an environmental campaign of WWF - Australia, which had the aim of reducing CO2 emissions in the largest Australian city of Sydney within 12 months by 5%. The Earth Hour made ​​it the beginning of the action: March 31, 2007 should be pointed by the symbolic turning off the lights from 19:30 clock to 20:30 clock local time on the energy waste due to unnecessary lighting and other power consumption and potential savings. In cooperation with Fairfax Media ( The Sydney Morning Herald), the event was made known in advance and organized. Shops and businesses had the opportunity to register for the action and to be registered on a website. Registration of private individuals was associated with a Sweepstakes.

The event was supported by the City Council of the City of Sydney. During Earth Hour, the lighting of the city landmark Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House and were switched off for the first time since commissioning in 1974, the famous Coca -Cola neon sign in the district of Kings Cross. Most public buildings waived their outdoor lighting, while street lights and other essential in the regulation of public life lights were turned on. Also in cultural and sporting events, there was usually no restrictions. Many businesses and companies waived their night advertising and building lights. Restaurants served dinner by candlelight. In addition, numerous events were held, who recorded the theme in different ways. A special emphasis was placed on the involvement of schools in the city.

Because of the high organizational effort the Australian Earth Hour was performed only in the four- million - city Sydney in 2007. In addition to the downtown ( Central Business District), the action took place in outlying districts and suburbs. Australia wide the action took great interest and also in the media reported on the worldwide Earth Hour. About a nationwide repeat in 2008, it was speculated by the WWF.

Background

Australia is one of the countries with the highest per capita emissions of CO2 and has signed the Kyoto Protocol is not signed up to the 13th Climate Change Conference in Bali. After a prolonged dry period from 2003 and the resulting constraints of water scarcity global warming moved into the public consciousness and became an important issue in the election campaign for the parliamentary elections in 2007. Too attended several scientific predictions about the extent and consequences of climate change (eg by the UN see Fourth Assessment report of the IPCC) for increased interest nationally and worldwide.

Worldwide imitations

The first that has picked up this action, were the English. On 21 June 2007, the longest day of the year, numerous lights 9:00 p.m. to 22:00 clock were under the slogan " Lights Out London ' in the British capital off, including for the first time in 68 years, the famous neon sign at Piccadilly Circus. On October 20th, the Californian city of San Francisco, also under the slogan " Lights Out".

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, an action was made ​​under the title "Light! Carried out for our climate. " On December 8, 2007. It was recognized at the same time for the World Climate Summit in 2007 and was the first transnational initiative. Among other things, the Cologne Cathedral, the castle Neuschwanstein, turned off the light at the Brandenburg Gate and the Zeil in Frankfurt. However, this action was limited to five minutes ( 20:00 bis 20:05 clock ).

2008

The Earth Hour 2008, which was attended by 31 partner cities on all seven continents, was held from 21:00 clock on March 29 from 20:00. In addition, it was supported by 182 other cities and regions. The lights were turned off many special attractions for this hour, such as the Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia), the Empire State Building ( New York City, USA), Sears Tower (Chicago, USA ), the Golden Gate Bridge ( San Francisco, USA), the Colosseum (Rome, Italy) and the CN Tower (Toronto, Canada )

The official website earthhour.org reached in the week before the Earth Hour over 6.7 million visitors. Other websites also participated in this event. So, for example, had The Google page for the day of Earth Hour a dark background.

2009

On 28 March 2009, 20:30 bis 21:30 clock the Earth Hour was titled "Voice for the Earth - the light off is your voice" performed for the year 2009.

This Earth Hour 2009 took 88 states with 4159 cities participate for the first time also the UN headquarters participated in New York City.

The Canadian province of Ontario without the city of Toronto reduced in this hour of electricity consumption by 6%. Toronto itself even managed a reduction of 15.1%, as many companies as well as among other scientists turned off the CN Tower, unnecessary lighting.

The Swedish electricity producer Svenska Kraftnät announced a reduction in electricity demand by 2.1 %.

In Vietnam, which saved during Earth Hour 140 MWh and 611 MWh in the Philippines.

2010

In 2010, Earth Hour was held until 21:30 on March 27 from 20:30. In Israel, moved the date to April 22.

The participants included 126 countries with more than 4000 cities and part darkened so among other things, the Big Ben, the Empire State Building, the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, the Parthenon, the Forbidden City, and the Brandenburg Gate.

Vietnam saved in this hour with 500 MWh three times more energy than the year before.

2011

Earth Hour 2011 was held worldwide on March 26, 2011 from 20:30 bis 21:30 o `clock. Israel set the date to March 24.

This year, Vietnam saved a 400 MWh of energy.

The operators of YouTube changed their logo in 2011 for the Earth Hour and added a " light switch " added, with which one could switch the background from white to black.

2012

The Earth Hour 2012 was celebrated worldwide on March 31 from 20:30 bis 21:30 clock. Many cities had previously announced that it will participate. Among other things, the famous opera house in the Australian city of Sydney and the Tower Bridge in London was shrouded in darkness. The motto in Germany was in 2012, "Your hour for our planet ." The lights at the Brandenburg Gate, the Cologne Cathedral and at the Dresden Frauenkirche extinguished. In the central action in Berlin environmentalists lit 5000 blue and green bio - candles in the form of a giant planet.

In 2012, Earth Hour took place in 150 countries and 6525 cities.

2013

Earth Hour 2013 was on 23 March, from 20:30 bis 21:30 clock.

2014

Earth Hour 2014 was on 29 March, from 20:30 bis 21:30 clock.

Criticism

From the research and the economy, there were concerns that too large a stake in the action to shutdown the power grid and thus lead to a widespread power failure could. Clear there was afterwards of the electricity network operators, power supply and its frequency remained at a stable level and power outages it had not occurred.

Supported by media corporations like image, Google and ProSieben, but also of BUND, Greenpeace and WWF action was highly controversial in the environmental movement because of their pure symbolic effect. An initiative by taz, attac, NABU, Robin Wood, Green League and others called for " light on - the right way " on. It requests that instead should be placed among other things, energy saving light bulbs and green power. A calculation of the Öko-Institut on behalf of the taz found that if 50 percent of German households off for five minutes the light, in Germany about 343 tons of CO2 would be saved. But if 50 percent of households bulbs replaced with energy-saving lamps, in one year 2.5 million tons of CO2 would be saved, that is 7000 times as much as in the " Earth Hour " campaign.