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WWF highlights Egypt’s marking of Earth Hour
The World Wide Fund (WWF) highlighted Egypt’s marking of the Earth Hour’s iconic switch off moment alongside a host of global landmarks, including the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, the Esplanade, in Singapore, the Budapest City Lights in Hungary, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Other landmarks that took part in this year’s Earth Hour include China’s Zhouzhuang in Kunshan and the Beijing National Speed Skating Hall, Cambodia’s Independence Monument, the Old Mutual Tower in Nairobi, and The Musée du Louvre and the Notre-Dame de Paris, both in France.
The WWF said that Egypt’s Ministry of Environment took part in the Earth Hour – which falls on March 25. This year, WWF’s Earth Hour campaign encouraged individuals, communities and businesses to give an Hour for Earth. WWF challenged the public to give as many hours as possible and log them in its online ‘Hour Bank’ – an online count of all the planet-positive activities pledged by people for Earth Hour this year. With a target of reaching 60,000 hours or seven years’ worth – mirroring the time we have left to restore nature and course-correct for the sake of people and planet – WWF saw an incredible total of more than 410,000 hours pledged on the ‘Hour Bank’.
Egypt’s Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad explained that her ministry has coordinated with other ministries and governorates to participate in this event by turning off the lights of a number of important tourist attractions, such as the Citadel of Salah al-Din, the Sultan Qalawun in Al-Muizz Street, the mosques of Sultan Hassan and Al-Rifa’i, the Palaces of Baron and Aisha Fahmy.
Moreover, the external lighting of Qaitbay Citadel in Alexandria, Salah El-Din Castle in Taba, Youssef Kamal’s Palace in Naga Hammadi, and the Sharm El-Sheikh Museum in South Sinai was also switched off.
Additionally, the Cairo governorate has also reduced the lighting by 50% in the governorate general office, Abdeen Square and all public buildings and its affiliated bodies.
More than 190 countries and territories, and key public figures including the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, pledged their support by Giving an Hour for Earth. Other public figures that showed their support for Earth Hour included India’s Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, Indonesian Mayor of Surakarta Gibran Rakabuming Raka and President of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Charles Angelo Savarin. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif both lent their support across Twitter, as did Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Many of the world’s best-loved influencers and celebrities also expressed their support for this year’s Earth Hour 2023. They include Indonesian model and actor, Arya Saloka, one of Colombia’s most popular TV presenters, Claudia Bahamon as well as former Australian football player, Harry Kewell. Cambodia’s DJ Nana also shared their support for Earth Hour, as did Malaysian singer-songwriter Zee Avi and Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach. Others include German musician Peter Schilling, Choi Si Won of South Korean boyband Super Junior, one of the world’s youngest climate activists, Tanzanian Activist, Sharon Ringo, Zambian-based pop star, James Sakala and India’s Three-time Grammy Award winner, composer and environmentalist Ricky Kej. The popular children’s show, Pocoyo also expressed support for this year’s Earth Hour via TikTok, with a fantastic animation showcasing the characters’ love for nature.
Dr Kirsten Schuijt, Director General, WWF International, said “The creativity, the commitment and unity I’ve witnessed over the past 24 hours around Earth Hour sparks hope in me that, if voices are heard, platforms used and people of influence demand more for the planet, we can halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. It’s been incredible to see the true reach of WWF’s supporters from every corner of the globe, from Bermuda to Japan to Brazil. Together we’ve created the Biggest Hour for Earth yet – we’ve managed to turn a single hour into millions of hours of positive actions for the planet – keeping a light on our crucial 2030 goals and the people ready to defend them. Thank you”
This year’s Earth Hour follows the historic Kunming-Montreal Agreement at COP15, which in December last year committed the world to halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030. WWF warns that alarming and unprecedented rates of nature loss are putting species at risk of extinction, with an increasing number of communities across the world set to lose their homes and access to basic necessities like food, clean water and a livable environment.
Last year’s WWF’s Living Planet report highlighted that one million species are now threatened with extinction and global wildlife populations have declined by a staggering 69% since 1970. At the same time, WWF is warning that we are on track to breach the 1.5°C limit by 2030, at the latest by the early 2030s, risking global destabilization and irreversible environmental degradation. Earth Hour is therefore more important than ever, for ensuring that millions of people across the globe gather in this moment of solidarity, to celebrate and protect our planet.
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