Lights out tonight for Earth Hour, a moment of reflection on the fate of the planet

Earth Hour returns today Saturday, March 30, 2019, as organizers ask participants to turn off their lights for one hour.

This year’s Earth Hour takes place at 8:30 pm, your local time, wherever you may be. The event aims to bring awareness to environmental issues, such as climate change.

Earth Hour started as a lights-out event in Sydney in 2007. It has grown in stature over the years, as more than 180 countries and territories are now involved. More than 17,900 landmarks and monuments turned their lights off during last year’s event.

Earth Hour does not claim that the event is an energy or carbon reduction exercise – it is a symbolic action to encourage individuals, businesses and governments around the world to take accountability for their ecological footprint and engage in dialogue and resource exchange that provides real solutions to our environmental challenges.

“Not because switching off a light takes much innovation, but because they share the vision that together, we can show the world we care about climate change and nature loss,” Sid Das, director of digital engagement, Earth Hour Global, said.

“These two threats are our planet’s biggest environmental challenge yet. It is easy to put your hands up and say the stakes are stacked against us, or they are too high to try. But each of the individuals who participate in Earth Hour has decided their ambition is higher, and I believe this changes the game entirely. Together, they are participating in creating a new future that will change the world we live in, not just for our generation but for our children, their children and so on.”

Environment minister Jose Herrera together with Speaker Anglu Farrugia will launch Malta’s Earth House at 8:30pm, by switching off the light of several symbolic sites. The day will be preceded by various activities in Valletta to highlight the threat of single-use plastics and climate change.

Partit Demokratiku will be celebrating Earth Hour by candlelight in the village square of Mqabba at a pub on Triq San Bażilju. PD leader Godfrey Farrugia will plant a bay laurel tree to mark the occasion. “At a time when the planet is facing an escalating climate crisis, it is crucial that every individual and organisation play their part to make a difference, no matter the scale,” Farrugia said.

“Every day, but most especially today, we have to do our bit to mitigate our impact on our planet. Many people have already started thinking ahead and taking their own reusable bags when doing the shopping to reduce the amount of plastic used. The less we use, the less they will need to produce. We cannot call ourselves humanitarians if we are not also environmentalists,” MEP candidate Cami Appelgren.