<
https://lens.monash.edu/earth-hour-the-power-of-being-seen-and-why-climate-visibility-matters/>
"Can one hour of darkness change anything about a warming planet?
Each year during Earth Hour, cities across the world dim their skylines as
buildings switch off their lights in a symbolic gesture of environmental
commitment.
At 8.30pm local time, Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Twin Towers, the Sydney Opera
House, London Bridge and the Empire State Building fade into darkness. Social
media fills with candlelit photos, and for one hour, the world pauses.
Critics sometimes dismiss the event as little more than symbolic. After all,
can 60 minutes without electricity meaningfully alter the trajectory of climate
change? The power of Earth Hour may lie less in the electricity saved than in
what the act makes visible.
Launched in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour was a bold experiment to demonstrate
that individual actions could scale to collective momentum.
By switching off non-essential lights for just one hour, the city saw a 10.2%
drop in energy consumption across the Sydney central business district.
The initiative, coordinated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), quickly expanded
into a synchronised global campaign inviting millions to “give an hour for
Earth”.
Last year, more than 118 countries or territories “banked’ more than three
million hours. But the more hidden value of this participation lies in the
visibility it creates – signalling concern, raising awareness and encouraging
public engagement with climate issues."
Via Clarice Boomshakala.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
