EARTH HOUR 2019: AUSTRALIANS ENCOURAGED TO SUPPORT CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION

Australians signing up to Earth Hour 2019 are demanding to federal politicians act now to ensure Australia gets back on track to meeting its international climate change commitments.

The Government’s own data shows Australia is on track to reduce emissions by only 7 per cent despite making an international commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030.

This year, each Earth Hour sign up by a member of the public will trigger a message to be sent to key federal politicians that calls for Australia to get back on track to meeting our Paris Agreement commitment. Australians are expected to send about 250,000 messages to parliamentarians. 

“Australians will send a powerful message to politicians demanding urgent action on climate change because they are deeply concerned about its impact on the environment, food production and our way of life,” said WWF-Australia CEO Dermot O’Gorman.

On Earth Hour, Australians will call for urgent action to halt biodiversity loss, which is being worsened by climate change. Globally, species have declined by 13% per decade since 1970. In Australia, the situation is worse with iconic species such as the koala declining by 21% per decade.

“The future for koalas, the Great Barrier Reef and the Murray Darling River system is bleak unless we take steps today to address the climate change, which is already having a huge impact on our beloved animals and landscapes” said Mr O’Gorman.

Businesses are also signing up to Earth Hour to demonstrate their growing commitment to supporting stronger action to prevent climate change. Some of Australia’s largest businesses including Atlassian, Coca Cola South Pacific, and Solotel have already signed up to Earth Hour 2019.

More than a quarter of a million Australian school children are expected to switch off their lights on Earth Hour Schools Day on 29 March.   

“Earth Hour is now observed in over 180 countries and territories, and shown how the individual actions of millions of people can collectively make a big difference to better care for our planet,” said Mr O’Gorman. 

Earth Hour is on Saturday 30 March, 8:30 pm local time. Households, businesses and iconic Australian landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge will turn off their lights for one hour during the event. 

To sign up to Earth Hour, visit WWF-Australia’s website: https://www.earthhour.org.au/

Please find a list of 24 iconic landmarks switching off along with thousands of others across the world as Earth Hour rolls across 24 time zones. 

1. Sydney Opera House, Australia (GMT+11)
2. Tokyo Sky Tree, Japan (GMT+9)
3. Shanghai Tower, China (GMT+8)
4. Taipei 101, Taiwan (GMT+8)
5. Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong (GMT+8)
6. Grand Palace, Thailand (GMT+7)
7. India Gate, India (GMT+5:30)
8. Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, UAE (GMT+4)
9. Burj Khalifa, UAE (GMT+4)
10. Moscow Kremlin and Red Square, Russia (GMT+3)
11. Acropolis, Greece (GMT+2)
12. Pyramids of Egypt, Egypt (GMT+2)
13. Eiffel Tower, France (GMT+1)
14. Colosseum, Italy (GMT+1)
15. Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City (GMT+1)
16. Tétouan Old Town, Morocco (GMT+1)
17. Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, United Kingdom (GMT)
18. London Eye, United Kingdom (GMT)
19. Christ the Redeemer, Brazil (GMT-3)
20. La Moneda, Chile (GMT-3)
21. Empire State Building, USA (GMT-4)
22. United Nations Headquarters, USA (GMT-4)
23. Basilica Cathedral of Lima, Peru (GMT-5)
24. El Angel de la Independencia, Mexico (GMT-6)

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