Earth Hour impacts global climate change talks
31 Mar 2009
Earth Hour's impact continues to be felt around the world - with delegates at this week's crucial UN meeting in Bonn the latest to sit up and to take notice.
After nearly 4,000 cities and towns around the world went dark on Saturday night, Yvo de Boer, head of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) urged delegates from nearly 190 countries to heed the call from hundreds of millions of people to take decisive global action on climate change this year.
"Around the world, millions of people in thousands of cities switched their lights off ... in order to send a clear message that we must act on climate change," de Boer said in his opening address.
"Earth Hour was probably the largest public demonstration on climate change ever. Its aim was to tell every government representative to seal the deal in Copenhagen. The world's concerned citizens have given the negotiations an additional clear mandate."
WWF-Australia CEO Greg Bourne stressed that Earth Hour's success should remind political leaders that in spite of the difficult economic climate, people around the world wanted action on climate change.
"Earth Hour is the start of a nine-month road to Copenhagen. The UN negotiations in December must deliver a strong global agreement to drastically reduce emissions after the 2012 expiry of the current Kyoto Protocol."
Many countries which will be vital to the negotiation of a new deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol embraced Earth Hour 2009, including China, India, Brazil and the U.S.
"Emerging and developing countries were particularly enthusiastic, as they have an acute understanding of the immediacy and danger posed by climate change," said Mr Bourne.
WWF China country representative Dermot O'Gorman said the statement for action on global warming was being made "loud and clear" in China.
"What's most impressive about Earth Hour in China is how many ordinary people across the country have signed up to switch off their lights. This sends a powerful message to the world that people in China want action on climate change now," he said.
