Earth hour turns 20 at pivotal moment in climate action
Twenty years ago Sydney became the birthplace of one of the world’s best-known viral environmental campaigns.
In 2007, public awareness of climate change was sharpening.
The scientific consensus on the culprit (human-caused greenhouse gas emissions) was strengthening, and former US vice president Al Gore’s landmark documentary An Inconvenient Truth It was making waves.
At the same time, skepticism and denial were still widespread.
Spearheaded by the World Wildlife Fund, Leo Burnett and Fairfax Media, Earth Hour aimed to rally the public behind the climate cause through a highly visible, symbolic gesture of support: switching off the lights.
More than 2.2 million people and 2000 businesses in Sydney took up the cause and were left in the dark for an hour.
The effect was like this; The campaign quickly spread around the world and became a fixture on the annual calendar.
WWF global president Adil Najam, who met with local colleagues in Australia, says the message of Earth Hour is much more than saving energy.
“You know, it’s clear that one hour a year is not going to save the planet,” he told AAP.
He said Earth Hour is more about reminding people that they are empowered to contribute to something bigger.
It also shows the extent of support and puts pressure on governments to take action on climate and environmental issues.
The high-profile environmental group has long encouraged participants to go beyond an hour without non-essential lights and pair that with concrete actions like participating in community clean-ups or tree-planting projects.
Evaluating the climate and environmental movement in 2026, Dr. Najam says Earth Hour’s call to action has never been more important.
The planet is already experiencing the consequences of climate change: World Meteorological Organization data shows that the last 11 years have been the hottest on record, putting extreme weather, sea level rise and stress on coral reefs and other ecosystems.
However, the world now has the affordable clean energy technologies needed to move away from fossil fuels.
The transition is going well, but not fast enough to meet international commitments to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures.
Dr Najam said it was time to be more tenacious about action and impact; This idea was called “Implementation COP” at the United Nations climate talks held in Brazil last year.
“The transition from meeting to meeting and report to report is extremely important,” he said.
“But unless this translates into action and action has impact, we are in danger of not only losing momentum but also losing our moment on Earth.”
The climate expert will be in Sydney to watch the Opera House go dark on the 20th anniversary of Earth Hour, followed by other recognizable monuments and buildings around the world.
“The Sydney Opera House has now become a symbol of the Earth in many ways, in ways that people will never fully recognize,” he said.
Australia’s lights will go out between 8.30pm and 9.30pm (AEDT) on Saturday.
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
