Earth Hour : A wakeup call for protecting the Planet

N Munal Meitei *

This year our State increasingly felt the throes of water scarcity. Water is the key medium through which the impacts of climate change unfold. Our State has now started facing the acute environmental problems.

Water scarcity is the outcome of scanty rainfall which again is related to deforestation. What our State facing today is the economic water scarcity, not physical scarcity. Thus observation of Earth Hour is relevant for us also.

From 8.30 to 9.30 p.m on the 25th March 2023, the last Saturday was Earth Hour, a worldwide movement organized by WWF to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our planet.

The theme of Earth Hour this year was “Invest on our Planet”. This annual event encourage people to switch off all non-essential lights and electronic devices for one hour to save energy and reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions, as a symbol of commitment and transformative force for the mother earth. This is done to make it the biggest and most impactful hour of the year for the Earth.

This event also gives the massage to fight against the climate change and many more environmental issues.

Earth hour is also one of the world’s largest grassroots movements for our environmental protection. It’s joined by 190 countries and have experienced a vast saving in millions of megawatt-hours and carbon dioxide reduction. A study that examined data for a period of six years in 10 countries found that Earth Hour switch-offs reduced electricity consumption by an average of 4%.

The concept behind this initiative is wholesome- to show care and appreciation for the planet that is being polluted, exploited and mismanaged since the wisest living being, the humans exploit it in the name of civilization.

This special hour is not for merely switching off your lights and feeling better about yourselves, but to reflect and consider what eco-friendly choices you can make actively on a daily basis so that these important choices affect the environment positively in long term.

Earth hour is basically something that can be considered for the Governments, authorities, policy makers as well as individuals. Turning the lights off for an hour globally can have not much impact nor it can make up for the yearly emissions; but it is the act on a collective scale that is done in solidarity and it may be a wake-up call for many around the world.

It motivates people to adopt positive and environmentally healthy habits that extend beyond that one hour. It has even proven to be a major catalyst for many to adopt eco-friendly, sustainable activities and improve their lifestyles that harm the planet.

The world is facing the consequences of industrialization and suffered a lot from environmental degradation. However, we are also lucky enough to have all the necessary solutions we require for the reversal of climate change and global warming. The only thing stopping us is lack of getting together and planning for action.

The Earth Hour signifies a moment, an hour of unity and hope where we demonstrate the power of collective action and that if we want to solve the problem of climate change; it is entirely possible if everyone comes together. Earth Hour is all about making a positive change in not only our immediate environment on that specific day, but also the days to come that lead to a better and healthier planet.

By switching off lights or switching off from daily habits will bring something positive for the planet and we can turn a single Earth Hour into thousands and millions of hours of action. It is a moment for collective, global awareness of the climate crisis. It’s also a moment to realise how many people are fighting to save the planet.

Instead of just sitting with the lights off at home, people are urged to do something that helps the Earth such as cleaning up your local parks, picking up trash or litter from the neighborhood, using public transport for a change, using sustainable ingredients to cook or even doing something as simple as gathering people or friends and raising awareness about the environment and why we need to care for Earth.

An hour of darkness pulls us out of our daily routines and allows us to reflect on the one home we all share. In the face of accelerating biodiversity loss and climate change, there has never been a more crucial time to come together and take action for our collective future. Nature needs us. People need us. Our climate needs us.

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.