Earth Hour 2020 Emphasizes the Power of a Collective Pause
It’s more important than ever that we take a collective pause and use this time to reflect, evolve and strengthen our relationship with ourselves, with each other and with nature.
On Saturday, March 28, Earth Hour, one of the world’s largest grassroots movements for the environment, will once again inspire individuals, businesses and organizations in over 180 countries and territories to renew their commitment to the planet.
In the midst of the global COVID-19 health crisis, Earth Hour marks a moment of solidarity as global communities unite for each other and for the planet. We advise participants to join Earth Hour at home or online following CDC guidelines. Given the unprecedented circumstances, the global health emergency we are facing today is an alarming signal that we need to urgently transform our relationship with nature and the ecosystems we live in.
Earth Hour 2020 draws attention to the immediate need for halting nature and biodiversity loss for our health and well-being. During these challenging times, it’s more important than ever that we take a collective pause to reflect, evolve and strengthen our relationship with ourselves, with each other and with nature.
Shauna Mahajan, social scientist at World Wildlife Fund, said, “Individual actions can add up to create a movement. As Americans are spending more time at home during these challenging and unprecedented times, we can take an hour to reflect on how we as individuals can make our planet safe and healthy for both people and nature. The best opportunities for creating change come when we align our passions with our actions – so this Earth Hour, let's pause to reflect on how our individual passions can be aligned with action to help us collectively create a green and fair future.”
We live in an interconnected world, and our way of life increasingly threatens all life on Earth. Our pressure on the climate and our increased demand for food, water, and energy come at a cost for nature and species around the world, including ourselves.
Greta Thunberg, climate and environmental activist, said, “Earth Hour for me is every hour of every day. The need to unite and protect our planet has never been greater. As we have been asked to avoid public gatherings to slow the spreading of the COVID-19 (coronavirus), I recommend everyone to come together virtually for #EarthHour to renew our commitment to the planet and use our voices to drive action online safely and responsibly.”
People-led initiatives around the world like Earth Hour are vital to continue to inspire awareness on the importance of nature and prompt action to help deliver a nature positive world by the end of the decade.
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Notes to Editors
Link to Earth Hour site
Link to Earth Hour 2020 For Media
Link to Social Graphics
About Earth Hour
Earth Hour is WWF's flagship global environmental movement. Born in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour has grown to become one of the world's largest grassroots movements for the environment, inspiring individuals, communities, businesses and organizations in more than 180 countries and territories to take tangible environmental action for over a decade. Historically, Earth Hour has focused on the climate crisis, but more recently, Earth Hour has strived to also bring the pressing issue of nature loss to the fore. The aim is to create an unstoppable movement for nature, as it did when the world came together to tackle climate change. The movement recognizes the role of individuals in creating solutions to the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges and harnesses the collective power of its millions of supporters to drive change.
About World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
WWF is one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, working in nearly 100 countries for over half a century to help people and nature thrive. With the support of more than 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat the climate crisis. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more and keep up with the latest conservation news by following @WWFNews on Twitter and signing up for our newsletter and news alerts here.
