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Earth Hour

Give an hour for Earth on Saturday 23 March 2024, 8:30 - 9:30pm and help bring our world back to life. 

 

Earth hour countdown

Give an hour for Earth 

Join our #Earthhour Facebook event

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We want to know how you’ll be giving an hour for earth.

Share your stories and images with us via social media using the hashtag #EarthHour for the chance to feature on our feed below:

The Earth from space showing Australia and Indonesia

What is Earth Hour?

Every year in March, millions of people across the globe unite to show that they care about the future of our planet, by switching off for one hour. 

WWF’s Earth Hour is one of the world’s largest grassroots environmental movements. It brings the world together, shines a spotlight on the climate and nature crisis, and inspires people to act and advocate for urgent change. 

Orangutan carrying her baby and swinging through the branches but the image is edited to look like both orangutans are slowly disintegrating into dust

Why is it so important?

Our world needs our help. 

All over the world, animals and people are losing their homes because we're destroying forests, polluting rivers and oceans and making the climate crisis worse. 

But there is hope. We know that small actions can make a big difference and together we can make change. By giving an hour for earth you’ll be helping to bring our world back to life. That means more space for nature and a more stable climate, so people and wildlife can thrive.

What can happen to the Earth in an hour

1,631

The area of 1,631 football pitches of forest is lost in an hour.

4.6 million

Over 4.6 million tonnes of CO2 is emitted in an hour.

3.5 million

Food equivalent to almost 3.5 million meals is lost or wasted in the UK each hour.

30 million

The Greenland ice cap is losing an average of 30 million tonnes of ice an hour due to the climate crisis.

Sources

[1] FAO. Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020: Main report. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9825en 

[2] Fossil CO2 emissions at record high in 2023 publication

[3] WWF's Hidden waste: The scale and impact of food waste in primary production report

[4] Ubiquitous acceleration in Greenland Ice Sheet calving from 1985 to 2022 article 

Elephant herd at dusk