Earth Hour 2009

Turn off your lights – show your support

The global climate change awareness initiative known as ‘Earth Hour’ (http://www.earthhour.org/) has been scheduled for March 28th, 2009 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time. Belize has joined the rest of the world in this awareness campaign which is based on the responsibility that each of us should have with respect to Climate Change and the personal actions that we could take in our homes, environment, and work that can help mitigate the effects of this catastrophic phenomenon. The campaign culminates the third Saturday of March each year (since 2007) through the turning off of lights in residences, businesses, buildings and constructions that are milestone in large cities, for example, the Opera House in Sydney, Australia, the Roman Coliseum in Rome, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, etc. Last year in March 2008, 50 million people in 35 countries participated actively in Earth Hour turning off lights in their homes, offices and government buildings. In 2009, it will be celebrated on local time; beginning in the east, in New Zealand and advancing towards San Francisco, California and onwards. Toronto before and during Earth Hour

The Belize branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has received official endorsement for Earth Hour 2009 from the Belize Central Government, which has secured Belize a spot on the Global Earth Hour Map, enable international exposure for our cherished nation, and certainly brings international revelation to the fact that the people of Belize care about climate change and are willing to voice their concerns toward combating this very dangerous phenomenon.

Sydney Earth Hour

WWF has joined partnership with a number of local entities to lobby for the Belizean public’s participation in this very worthy initiative. A total of nine municipalities in Belize are being targeted in the campaign efforts: Belize City, San Pedro Town, Corozal Town, Orange Walk Town, Belmopan City, Santa Elena Town, San Ignacio Town, Dangriga Town and Punta Gorda Town. WWF has dispatched teams to each of these municipalities spearheading the campaign. The idea is to get as many households as possible to not use electric power (as a result of which massive emissions that cause global warming are created) by turning off all of their electric lights for a full hour on the above mentioned date. Chicago Earth Hour

Earth Hour helps to bring attention to climate change, and while mitigation is the core message of the event, the implications of climate change on Belize are closely related to coping with extreme weather events, food security and economic challenges. It serves to unite people and countries, on a global level, around the common goal to find solutions to climate change, and reduce carbon emissions.