At 8:30 PM local time on March 23, 2024, the 18th Earth Hour will take place globally. The campaign calls on individuals, businesses, and communities worldwide to “Turn off the lights, dedicate one hour to the Earth”, doing something beneficial for our planet.
| Earth Hour is an annual international event founded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to encourage people to take practical actions to protect the environment by turning off lights and unnecessary electrical devices for one hour (from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM local time) on the last Saturday of March each year. |
Originating from a symbolic blackout event in Sydney, Australia in 2007, Earth Hour has become the largest environmental movement in the world.
In its early years, Earth Hour focused on the climate crisis, but in recent years, the program has shifted attention to biodiversity loss and natural degradation.
Earth Hour emphasizes the role of individuals in creating solutions to the planet’s most urgent environmental challenges, calling on the collective power of millions around the Earth to create a positive future together.
In 2009, Earth Hour was first held in Vietnam by WWF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Starting with only six provinces participating, Earth Hour now enjoys support from all 63 provinces, along with millions of individuals, businesses, and organizations.
The ancient town of Hoi An (Quang Nam) participated in Earth Hour 2023. (Photo: Giang Thanh).
For Earth Hour 2024 in Vietnam, WWF, along with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, calls on the public to “Reduce carbon footprint – Towards Net Zero.”
The organizers urge everyone to dedicate one hour to the Earth and take actions, no matter how small, to help reduce their carbon footprint, such as cycling, choosing environmentally friendly consumer products, planting more trees, attending local Earth Hour events, or simply turning off unnecessary electrical devices for one hour.
Earth Hour also encourages businesses to improve their production processes, implement solutions to optimize operations, save energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Alongside online activities on mass media and social networks, many live events are also organized to raise awareness and call on the community to act towards Vietnam’s common goals.
People in Ho Chi Minh City participated in Earth Hour 2023. (Photo: Ha Chi).
According to WWF, climate change is the biggest challenge humanity faces. For Vietnam, proactively responding to climate change is particularly important, determining the country’s sustainable development.
WWF representatives state that the transition to a green economy, a circular economy, or a low-carbon economy is no easy task. In this context, reducing carbon footprints plays a crucial role in the journey towards Net Zero. Reducing carbon footprints, synonymous with cutting emissions, is one of the key factors to realizing the Net Zero target by 2050.
