On March 26, numerous countries once again participated in the annual commemoration of the Earth Hour.
This event, which started in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, encourages everyone to switch off lights for an hour starting at 8:30 in the evening. Over 190 nations participate in this annual lights-off that has become a global movement in conserving energy to avoid the increasing emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases.
Scientific studies already show carbon emissions hugely contributed to the declining quality of our environment to the extent of creating climate change that is now considered a global climate crisis.
Aside from advocating environmental protection, the Earth Hour is a concrete gesture of minimizing the use of energy, and therefore, even just for an hour the world reduced the emission of carbon in the atmosphere.
This year’s Earth Hour reminded me of the lockdown of various countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. That was the time when people’s movement and economic activities were seemingly at a standstill and the environment was a bit cleaner compared to ordinary days before that.
The same situation occurred the same year in the National Capital Region when the government imposed the Enhanced Community Quarantine, which was basically equivalent to lockdown as only essential activities were allowed outside residences.
The Paris Climate Change Agreement, which was adopted by 196 countries on Dec. 12, 2015, has set a goal to limit the warming of the Earth to well below 2, preferably, 1.5 Degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. In achieving this target, it is the aim of this international accord to achieve a global neutral climate by mid-century. One of the specific strategies to attain this ambitious target is to shift from fossilized fuels to renewable sources of energy.
Fossilized fuels composed of oil or petroleum, coal, and natural gas are nonrenewable energy sources since once stocks are exhausted they could no longer replenish. Oil and coal are among the major sources of carbon emissions, although deforestation and agriculture are also crucial factors in the warming of the globe. There is now a global movement to use renewable energy sources, such as hydro, wind, solar, and geothermal energy.
The global carbon emission has already exceeded the natural capacity of the Earth to withstand the unprecedented pollution, and so it formed a layer in the atmosphere and created holes in the ozone layer. The destruction of the ozone layer, which shields the Earth from deadly heat from the Sun, is already beyond repair, and what is being targeted is to curtail its further damages. The natural forest is also a carbon sink, because of its function in absorbing carbon, but, unfortunately, the forest of the world started to diminish.
The Earth Hour is a reminder that conservation should be a way of life, not only in reducing our energy consumption, but promoting environmentally friendly attitudes and practices, too. We can serve energy by growing or sourcing our food and other needs locally to minimize carbon footprints in transporting. Much more, use of energy efficient transport and lighting systems and furniture can also help clean the environment. Most of the motor vehicles are still using fossilized fuels and there is now a call to massively shift in electric powered vehicles, as well as an efficient mass transport system.
Many urban centers in the Philippines participated in this year’s Earth Hour, including Bacolod City. The provincial government of Negros Occidental led the event in Bacolod City with switching off of the lights in the capitol while several groups and individuals assembled to vigil.
The last Earth Hour coincided with the grand campaign rallies of two major political contenders for the May 2022 elections in Bacolod City. Sadly, the two separate rallies disregarded the global event, without even just a minute of gesture in participating in the Earth Hour.
The campaign rally of presidential aspirant and Vice President Leni Robredo in Caloocan City at that time observed the Earth Hour. These actuations of the candidates somehow demonstrate how they would deal with the concerns pertaining to our environment.*