IEMA's Digital Journalist Tom Pashby discusses Earth Hour 2022 and its significance as a reflection on the climate crisis and the action needed for change.


Earth Hour, an annual initiative run by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), is taking place this year on Saturday 26 March at 8:30pm GMT. The event was started in 2007 to encourage people and organisations to turn their lights off in order to raise awareness of what is now referred to as the climate emergency, and to encourage action.

Since 2007, Earth Hour has been marked in over 190 countries and territories, and WWF claims, has acted as a catalyst for climate action. On its website about the initiative, WWF acknowledges that:

“More than a decade later, the climate crisis remains, made worse by another urgent threat: the rapid loss of biodiversity and nature.

“Natural systems are vital for all our futures – and yet, the rate of global loss of nature during the past 50 years is unprecedented in human history. Nature not only provides us food, water, clean air, and other services worth over US$125 trillion a year – it is also one of our strongest allies against the climate crisis.”

From IEMA’s own community, Emma Sueref, Sustainability and New Business Manager at Vistry Group (an IEMA Corporate Partner), said:

“Personally, I mark earth hour each year. I use the time to reflect on what has or hasn’t happened since last year, personally and globally.

“I think it’s a great pause for reflection and a way to show small actions can make a big difference, plus the added bonus of raising awareness. Every year it starts a conversation with someone and this year, even more so than ever.”

The Earth Hour website has a section where organisations have already worked to create events where people can join both in-person and online activities to mark the switch off.

WWF also says “today, Earth Hour aims to increase awareness and spark global conversations on protecting nature, tackling the climate crisis, and working together to shape a brighter future for us all.”

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