Two of Adelaide Zoo's most precious visitors - pandas Wang Wang and Funi - have joined this year's Earth Hour as official ambassadors.

The giant pandas, who arrived in Australia in November last year, are a reminder of the motivations behind WWF's work on Earth Hour.

"These spectacular animals - the recognised symbol of WWF - represent the fragility of our environment which is acknowledged the world over," said WWF-Australia CEO Greg Bourne.

"Environmental threats facing our planet such as climate change and habitat loss continue to put creatures like Wang Wang and Funi at risk. We hope that everyone takes an opportunity before, during and after Earth Hour to think about how they can reduce their impact on our planet."

In 2010 Earth Hour will focus on the simple, long-term changes people can make to reduce their environmental impact. WWF is encouraging people to measure their environmental 'footprint' through the online calculator found at www.earthhour.org.au.

Zoos South Australia's President Heather Caddick said the Zoo is delighted that Australia's Giant Pandas Wang Wang and Funi have been chosen as ambassadors for Earth Hour 2010.

"Pandas are the world's most beloved and recognised endangered species, with only 1,600 remaining in the wild. They represent all endangered and maybe less glamorous species on our planet.

"Earth Hour puts into focus the damage we humans have done to wild habitats and wildlife, and is a wake up call for us to change!

"Zoos South Australia, through Conservation Ark, is at the forefront of connecting people with the natural world and its fragile state, and we are expanding our environmental stewardship," said Mrs Caddick. Wang Wang and Funi will join ambassadors, individuals, families, businesses and communities in over 100 countries participating in this year's event, more than ever before.

Notes

• New, high resolution photos of Wang Wang and Funi are available on request.
• For Earth Hour information and to measure your environmental footprint, visit www.earthhour.org.au

More information

Jonathon Larkin, Media Officer, WWF-Australia 0410 221 410, jlarkin@wwf.org.au

Emily Rice, Media, Zoos South Australia, 0417 089 937., erice@zoossa.com.au

The 3 kilowatt solar power system, provided by Solar Shop Australia, is a great way for people to save money and reduce their environmental footprint.

"In 2010, Earth Hour is focused on the long-term changes we can make to benefit the environment," said WWF-Australia CEO Greg Bourne.

According the figures from the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, the average NSW home uses 7,300 kWh of electricity a year - equal to eight tonnes of carbon pollution.

Solar Shop Australia's Managing Director Mr Adrian Ferraretto said that solar power has a huge role to play in helping Australian homes improve their sustainability.

"Over the 25 year warranted life of this 3kW system, it will save 120.6 tonnes of carbon pollution. It'll save water too, in fact 15 million litres that would otherwise be used for the production of electricity in coal-fired power stations.

"And in most states, you can sell electricity back to the grid for around two-and-a-half times what you pay for it. That not only covers an average quarterly $350 power bill comfortably, it could generate some very healthy credit in your account."

Hundreds of millions of people in over 100 countries are expected to take part in Earth Hour this year, combining to make one of the world's largest statements on protecting the environment and promoting the need for sustainable lifestyles.

Entries for the competition will stay open until Earth Hour begins to roll across Australia on Saturday March 27th at 8.30pm AEST.

More information

Jonathon Larkin, Media Officer, WWF-Australia 0410 221 410, jlarkin@wwf.org.au

Rachael Hoy National Media Manager, WWF-Australia 0407 204 594, rhoy@wwf.org.au

Notes

For Earth Hour information and to measure your environmental footprint, visit www.earthhour.org.au

About Solar Shop Australia

Solar Shop Australia is the leading provider of domestic and commercial solar power solutions in Australia. With more than 10 years experience in the industry, the company has installed tens of thousands of solar power systems which will abate more than a million tonnes of Co2 emissions from our atmosphere. Recently the company has made solar more accessible with Australia's first solar specific finance package, Sunworks.

People in cities and towns across Australia will join those in 91 other countries and regions around the world for Earth Hour, with Honduras the latest nation to have official Earth Hour recognition. Last year 88 countries got involved in the lights out event.

With confirmation that the Tokyo Tower in Tokyo and Brandenburg Gate in Berlin will both turn off their lights for Earth Hour, all members of the G20 are now taking part in the event.

Countries and regions involved for the first time include Madagascar, Kosovo, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Mongolia, Cambodia, Czech Republic, Paraguay, Ecuador and the US Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

WWF is thrilled that more people, businesses and organisations around the world are recognising the need and taking a lead on the issue of climate change.

Greg Bourne,CEO, WWF-Australia said, "Earth Hour demonstrates the determination of the world's citizens and brings together cities, communities, businesses and individuals in taking positive action on climate change."

WWF has confirmed that there are currently over 1,100 cities and towns signed up to switch their lights off at 8.30pm on 27 March - 100 more than at the same time last year.

"Typically we see a big jump in the number of cities and towns taking part in the last few days before the lights go out, but to see such strong support already is fantastic," said Bourne.

"Earth Hour is an opportunity for people around the world to speak in one voice on the issue of climate change, while at the same time coming together in celebration of the one thing every single person on the planet has in common - the planet," he said.

Earth Hour activities officially recognised in the following countries and regions for the first time:

Brunei; Cambodia; Czech Republic; Kosovo; Madagascar; Mauritius; Mongolia; Mozambique; Nepal; Northern Mariana Islands; Oman; Panama; Paraguay; Tanzania; Saudi Arabia; Qatar; Faroe Islands.

Note

B-roll and Earth Hour still images can be found at www.earthhour.panda.org

More information

Jonathon Larkin, Media Officer, WWF-Australia 0410 221 410, jlarkin@wwf.org.au

Rachael Hoy National Media Manager, WWF-Australia 0407 204 594, rhoy@wwf.org.au

For Earth Hour information and to measure your environmental footprint, visit www.earthhour.org.au

The NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water is a Living Planet sponsor of Earth Hour 2010. Visit www.environment.nsw.gov.au for more information.

This is the first time in Earth Hour's four year history that, annual polling aside, an official research partnership will determine the ongoing impact of the global event.

The research will be conducted over the next 12 months and will focus on understanding the motivations of households participating in Earth Hour and the effects the campaign has on individual's day-to-day behaviour such as changes in energy and water use.

"In line with the campaign's Earth Hour, Every Hour mantra, we've always wanted Earth Hour to be a springboard for long-term change," said WWF-Australia CEO Greg Bourne.

"What we want to find out in detail is whether the event inspires people to adopt more sustainable practices. Not just for one hour but for the whole year, helping to shape the delivery of Earth Hour into the future."

UWS is nationally recognised for its expertise in researching business, community and individual responses to sustainability messages and projects, including those relating to climate change, energy and water use.

In a recently completed preliminary study, Dr Abby Lopes from the UWS School of Communication Arts and Dr Tara Andrews from the UWS School of Engineering found Earth Hour, as an awareness raising strategy, plays a role in behavioural change.

"Earth Hour highlights the crucial links between everyday individual human behaviour and environmental impacts," said Dr Lopes.

"Unlike curb-side recycling and water conservation, energy consumption is largely private and invisible. Earth Hour has successfully brought an awareness of the environmental impact of energy consumption into the home."

However, Drs Lopes and Andrews found in their review of previous academic studies there remains a significant gap between the will of people to reduce their energy consumption and their ability to do so.

"People still don't understand energy consumption very well. They aren't fully aware of the amount of energy appliances consume during standby or the energy required to make the products and deliver the services they use," said Dr Lopes.

"More research is needed to fully explore how Earth Hour can help bridge the gap in the community's knowledge and foster sustainable behaviour in the long term."

To encourage long term changes in people's habits, WWF is urging everyone who participates in Earth Hour 2010 to measure their environmental footprint at www.earthhour.org.au - giving them an understanding of their true impact on the planet.

"Your impact is bigger than just your energy bill," said Mr Bourne.

"Unfortunately the average Australian has an enormous environmental footprint.

"We want people to make a resolution to do something this year to reduce the size of their footprint. This could be as simple as using more public transport, sourcing locally produced food, reducing the amount of packaging and waste in your homes, or switching to renewable energy.

"Earth Hour's true power is in the millions of little things it encourages everyone to do."

More information

Jonathon Larkin,
Media Officer, WWF-Australia
0410 221 410, jlarkin@wwf.org.au

Paul Grocott,
Senior Media Officer, University of Western Sydney
0406-429-304, p.grocott@uws.edu.au

Earth Hour will reach new heights this year, with the world's three tallest buildings - the new Burj Khalifa in Dubai, CN Tower in Toronto and Taipei 101 in Taiwan - going dark for the global event.

Melbourne's Luna Park, Rialto Tower, Arts Centre and Crown Casino; Brisbane's Story Bridge; Adelaide's Town Hall and Rundle Mall Lantern; The National Library and Australian War Memorial in Canberra and the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Tower, Harbour Bridge and Luna Park will join this growing list.

World-famous sites across the US, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Empire State Building, Mount Rushmore and even the lights of Las Vegas, will switch off in a decisive display of climate action from one of the most significant nations on the climate landscape.

Some of the world’s great metropolises will 'flick the switch' on their signature landmarks, marking their dedication to sustainable development and joining their citizens in adopting low-carbon practices.

Hiroshima will become the first Japanese city to show its commitment to global climate action when the lights go out on its iconic Peace Memorial. In London, lights will dim on the world-famous London Eye as the Coca-Cola sign in Piccadilly Circus switches off.

The actions shown by cities of the world and their inhabitants are crucial to leading a low-carbon resolution to climate change, says Earth Hour Co-Founder and Executive Director, Andy Ridley.

"The C40 suggests that cities are responsible for up to 75% of the world’s carbon emissions, so their role in addressing what is unequivocally the greatest threat to the planet today is absolutely vital," Andy said.

"By turning the lights off for Earth Hour, cities are reflecting the aspirations of their citizens as a community that has resolved to take action on global warming," he said.

As Earth Hour has grown from a one-city initiative in 2007 to a global phenomenon in 2009, renowned icons, including the Great Pyramids, Eiffel Tower, the Coliseum, Christ the Redeemer statue, Buckingham Palace, Beijing's Olympic Stadium and many more world-famous landmarks have joined the global community in showing leadership on a resolution to climate change.

The recently released Earth Hour 2010 video, viewed at www.earthhour.org.au, provides a powerful and inspiring montage of the world's most recognised landmarks contributing to the greatest display of civil action the world has ever witnessed.

More information

Kirsten Hodgon, Communications Director, Earth Hour Global Tel: +61 (0) 424 507 095 E: khodgon@wwf.org.au

Note

Images of landmarks switching off for Earth Hour 2009 can be found at the Earth Hour Media Centre on www.earthhour.org.au.

The C40 Climate Leadership Group is a group of the world’s largest cities committed to tackling climate change. They state on their website that cities are responsible for up to 75% of the world’s greenhouse gas emmissions: http://www.c40cities.org/climatechange.jsp.

Numerous cities and towns in Australia, Canada, USA, Singapore, Russia, Sweden, Belgium, Bolivia, Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland and Turkey have already signed up, with many more expected in coming weeks. Moscow, Rio, Rome, Seoul, Manila, Singapore, Toronto, Hong Kong and Dallas are the latest to confirm their commitment.

"Millions of Australians took part in previous Earth Hours, and for good reason - it is a great way to show that you care about the planet," said Greg Bourne, WWF-Australia's CEO.

"We're hoping that communities large and small around Australia will once again join in this great event, and make a strong statement that they are both concerned about the state of our environment and committed to taking action."

In 2010, Earth Hour will focus on broader, ongoing sustainability, in addition to carbon pollution and climate change.

"This year, we're asking people to go beyond turning off lights and instead make an Earth Hour resolution to start something bigger," said Mr Bourne.

"Switching off your lights is a great first step, but your true environmental impact is much bigger than just your energy bill. Each individual’s environmental impact - or environmental footprint - is made up of things such as the food you eat, the transport and housing you choose, and the goods and services you buy."

WWF has developed an interactive, online footprint calculator that allows people to quickly and easily work out the size of their environmental footprint, with hints and tips on how to reduce and improve it.

"We are asking everyone to measure their complete footprint by using our online calculator at earthhour.org.au," said Mr Bourne.

"Modern living means most of us lead environmentally unsustainable lifestyles - using the planet's resources much faster than they can be renewed. Once you've calculated the size of your footprint, why not make a resolution to do something on an ongoing basis to reduce it?"

"Reducing your environmental footprint involves looking at the simple choices you make in your day-to-day life - choices about the food you eat, the way you move around and where you spend your money. If we all make simple changes, we can all make the switch to a more sustainable lifestyle."

Stats and facts on Australia's ecological footprint

• According to WWF's 2008 Living Planet Report - the organisation's biennial assessment of the state of the natural world - Australia has the fifth largest ecological footprint per capita in the world, up from sixth worst in 2006.
• Each Australian uses more land and water per person than the UK, China, Russia and India and it now takes 7.81 hectares to maintain the lifestyle of each Australian - up from 6.76 hectares per person in 2006. Only the United Arab Emirates, USA, Kuwait and Denmark rated worse.
• Australia's carbon emissions, along with its cropping and grazing practices are the largest contributors to our massive ecological footprint, together accounting for 86 per cent of the total.
• The nation's water use is more than the global average (1.39 million litres per person per year compared to 1.24 million litres per person per year) and our agricultural industries use more water for production than any other industry sector in the country.

Simple starter tips for reducing your footprint

• Ditch the take away coffee cup - this will reduce landfill and the amount of resources used to produce your daily pick-me-up.
• Try a meat-free day once a week - did you now that hundreds of litres of water are needed to produce one kilogram of beef?
• Double the efficiency of your car by putting another person in it! - this is an easy way to reduce your mobility footprint.
• Cut out one flight this year - air travel contributes significantly to your mobility footprint. Choosing to holiday closer to home, or avoiding business travel, can make a really big difference.
• Recycle your electronic gadgets - old mobiles, iPods, TVs, computers and radios contain lots of material that can be recycled such gold, copper and coltan. None of this needs to end up as landfill.
• Walk, ride or take public transport to work once a week - this will save you money, improve your health and lower your footprint.
• Every night, make sure you don't leave things on stand-by power - by turning appliances like TVs off at the wall, you're eliminating wasted energy and carbon.
• And... ask your local MP what their Earth Hour resolution is, and what they are doing to address climate change - this is a great way to make sure that your voice is heard and that your representatives understand your concerns.

About Earth Hour

At 8.30 pm on Saturday 27 March, 2010 millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour, Earth Hour, to show that we can all choose to make a difference. Last year, for Earth Hour 2009, nearly one billion people in more than 4,000 cities in 87 countries, turned off their lights. Around the world, icons that turned off their lights included the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Parthenon in Athens, the St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London, the Elysee Palace and Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube in Beijing, the Symphony of Lights in Hong Kong, the Opera House in Sydney, the statue of Christ Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the Angel of Independence in Mexico and the Buenos Aires Obelisk, among others.

About WWF

WWF-Australia is part of the WWF International Network, the world's largest and most experienced independent conservation organisation. It has close to five million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

More information

Jonathon Larkin, WWF Media Officer, 0410 221 410, jlarkin@wwf.org.au

Rachael Hoy, National Media Manager, 0407 204 594, rhoy@wwf.org.au

Unveiled in Sydney by the first joint honorary custodians, Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore MP and 14 year old "Climate Girl" Parrys Raines, The People's Orb will travel to Denmark to be presented to a representative of world leaders during a dedicated Earth Hour Copenhagen when the lights of the city will be turned off for one hour from 7pm on Wednesday 16 December.

During its journey, The Orb will be entrusted to a sequence of honorary custodians. It will arrive in the city via The Climate Express, on Saturday 5 December, where it will collaborate the efforts of all major climate campaigns including Vote Earth, tcktcktck, 350.org, UNEP, Raise Your Voice, Hopenhagen, the Copenhagen Climate Council and the Earth Journalism Awards.

Custodians will include both citizen and official representatives including Professor Tim Flannery, Director General of WWF International, Mr Jim Leape and Executive General of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Mr Achim Steiner.

Earth Hour Executive Director, Andy Ridley, says that the huge numbers of people who took part in Earth Hour 2009 - when hundreds of millions of people in over 4000 cities and towns in 88 countries throughout the world voted for Earth over global warming by turning off their lights - is evidence that the planet's population is calling for definitive action on climate change.

"The People's Orb represents the spirit of collaboration across the globe. It gives the world's citizens a voice to make a difference in the global battle against climate change," Ridley says.

The People's Orb will retain sufficient memory for world leaders to include the final piece - a binding agreement for the future of the planet.

A global appeal for suggestions of material to be included in The People's Orb has sparked conversation across the world. Social media networks facebook and twitter are already a buzz with suggestions and comments from the planets citizens.

Michael Jackson's Earth Song has been the number one suggestion via online forums. Further suggestions being suggested on blogs, twitter and facebook include

Along with suggestions from individuals, The People's Orb will also contain key climate change reports from the world's most eminent scientists; representation from the world's great thinkers on the need for action on climate change and representation from the leaders of the world's cities calling for action on climate change.

Suggestions for what should be included in The People's Orb are being collected via Twitter, Facebook () and the Earth Hour blog.

Notes

Businesses, community groups and individuals are encouraged to host a Vote Earth ballot box on their website. Click here for more information.

More information

Kirsten Hodgon
Earth Hour Global
M: +61 (0) 424 507 095
E: Khodgon@wwf.org.au

Billy Gentle
Earth Hour Global
M: +61 (0) 4 1016 1789
E: bgentle@wwf.org.au

3,929 towns, cities and municipalities in 88 countries around the world participated in the historic event - the world's first global election for action on climate change.

"We are truly amazed and inspired at the phenomenal reach of this year's event, with numbers of participating cities growing almost ten fold from 370 last year to almost 4,000 in 2009", said Greg Bourne, CEO, WWF-Australia.

"This is an incredible wave of support for taking action on climate change, one which began here in Australia and which Australians should be incredibly proud of."

In Australia, WWF's exclusive polling has shown that Canberra for the second year running led the nation with the highest participation rate, with an outstanding 62%.

Capital city participation results were as follows:

• Canberra: 62%
• Adelaide: 50%
• Brisbane: 52 %
• Sydney: 50%
• Melbourne: 40%
• Perth: 40%

Nearly half of all Australians (47 per cent) participated in the call for action on climate change by switching off their lights. While representing a slight decrease on last year, the figure doesn't capture the vast improvement year on year in regional Australia.

The polling, conducted by AMR Interactive, also showed that young people were again a driving force behind the campaign, with over 50 per cent of 18- 29 year olds flicking the switch - on top of the tens of thousands of children who were expected to take part.

Earth Hour's global expansion has been matched by its online presence with more than 1 million social media supporters, over 4 million views of official Earth Hour images on flickr and almost 17 million new keyword mentions of "Earth Hour" within the last 24 hours.

Earth Hour Global Director Andy Ridley said that the overwhelming global support was a sign that world leaders needed to take strong action to combat climate change at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December.

"Australian businesses and politicians can no longer say that Australia is going it alone. We are a world leader on climate change, but Earth Hour 2009 has proven that other countries are ready to follow."

"We hope governments world over listen to this emphatic vote as they prepare to sit down and agree on a global commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions in Copenhagen in December."

Key achievements of Earth Hour 2009 in Australia:

• Around 55% (309) of Australia's local councils committed to Earth Hour, demonstrating strong regional support across the country
• All Australian capital cities participated in Earth Hour
• 99 of the ASX100 companies registered their participation
• Australia's major icons switched off: the Opera House and Harbour Bridge (Sydney), St Kilda's Luna Park and Flinders Street Station (Melbourne), Story Bridge (Brisbane), Parliament House (Canberra), WA State Memorial (Perth), Rundle Mall Lantern (Adelaide).

Key achievements of Earth Hour 2009 internationally:

• 3929 cities, towns and municipalities in 88 countries across the globe
• 70 national capitals participated
• 18 out of 20 G20 countries took part 9 out of 10 of the world's most populated cities switched off
• The world's most famous landmarks went dark: the Pyramids and the Sphinx (Egypt), Eiffel Tower (France), Vatican (Italy), Acropolis (Greece), Big Ben (UK), the Las Vegas Strip and Empire State Building (USA), Christ the Redeemer (Brazil), Bird's Nest (China) and the Petronas Twin Towers (Malaysia).

]]> Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:01 +1000 http%3A%2F%2Fwwf.org.au%2Fnews%2Fearthhour%2Fearth-hour-impacts-global-climate-change-talks%2F http://wwf.org.au/news/earthhour/earth-hour-impacts-global-climate-change-talks/ 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.

]]> Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:01 +1000 http%3A%2F%2Fwwf.org.au%2Fnews%2Fearthhour%2Fprime-minister-rudd-eh%2F http://wwf.org.au/news/earthhour/prime-minister-rudd-eh/ With just one week left before lights-out, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have thrown their support behind Earth Hour.

"Earth Hour is a great home-grown initiative. It began just two years ago, but is already a worldwide movement. Its message is simply this: climate change is a challenge for all of us and we all need to put our shoulder to the wheel to tackle this immense challenge," said Prime Minister Rudd.

"That message is absolutely vital this year as the nations of the world work together ahead of the Copenhagen summit. It is crucial that we reach a deal on cutting greenhouse gas emissions."

The Prime Minister has said that this is not just an environmental, economic and political challenge but also the greatest moral challenge of our age.

As WWF builds support for a strong global agreement in Copenhagen to tackle climate change, the Prime Minister has said all nations must work together to solve the problem.

"The Australian government is taking action globally and at home and all Australians can show their commitment to taking action on climate change as well by participating in Earth Hour in 2009."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also urged citizens around the world to join WWF's Earth Hour to demand action on climate change.

The Secretary-General said that Earth Hour promises to be "the largest demonstration of public concern about climate change ever attempted."

"Earth Hour is a way for the citizens of the world to send a clear message. They want action on climate change," said Secretary-General Ban.

Ban underlined the seriousness of climate change and the need for a global climate deal to be agreed when the world's leaders meet in Copenhagen.

"People will be telling their representatives to seal a deal in Copenhagen. A deal at the climate change talks that will protect people and the planet. We need an ambitious agreement. An agreement that is fair and effective. An agreement based on sound science."

Secretary-General Ban went on to underline the seriousness of climate change and the scale of the task ahead. "We are on a dangerous path. Our planet is warming. We must change our ways," he said.

"We need green growth that benefits all communities. We need sustainable energy for a more climate-friendly, prosperous world. This is the path of the future. We must walk it together."

WWF's Earth Hour is being hailed as the biggest ever global movement – a vote for the future of planet earth. Hundreds of millions of people are expected to take part by switching off non-essential lighting for an hour. Cities from Las Vegas to Sydney, from Cape Town to Beijing will go dark for an hour.

Ban said that the United Nations would be doing its bit for Earth Hour. "In New York, we will switch out the lights at UN Headquarters. Other UN facilities around the world will also take part."

And he concluded: "I urge citizens everywhere to join us. Please send a strong message on climate change. Together we can find a solution to this most serious of global challenges."

The videos can be viewed at www.earthhourau.org where people can also register their support for Earth Hour 2009.

Note: To download a broadcast quality copy of the Prime Minister and Secretary-General's video message go to: http://www.divshare.com/folder/513398-71f

Find out more

Jonathon Larkin, Media Officer, WWF-Australia
Mobile: 0410 221 410
Email: jlarkin@wwf.org.au

Rachael Hoy, National Media Manager, WWF-Australia
Mobile: 0407 204 594
Email: rhoy@wwf.org.au

About Earth Hour

On Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 8:30 PM, millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour, Earth Hour, to show how by working together we can make a difference in the fight against climate change. The symbolic event is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage individuals, businesses and communities to take action to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis.

About WWF

WWF-Australia is part of the WWF International Network, the world's largest and most experienced independent conservation organisation. It has close to five million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. This is achieved by working on the ground with local communities, and in partnership with government and industry, using the best possible science to advocate change and effective conservation policy.

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