New Delhi: The Earth Hour has grown rapidly to become the world's most significant grassroots environmental movement. It has inspired the world to save electricity. This Earth Hour, across the country, many marquee landmarks participated in the global switch-off.
Rashtrapati Bhavan, India Gate, Shanti Stupa, Ladakh, Qutub Minar, Purana Qila, Humayun Tomb, were major landmarks that stood in solidarity with Earth Hour 2022 by switching off their lights.
A BSES spokesperson had said:
"We sincerely appeal to our over 46 lakh consumers and around 1.8 crore residents in our area to make the right choice for the planet and for the future generations that will inherit it. This Earth Hour, all our actions, albeit small, will 'Shape Our Future'. Citizens can help protect the natural world to safeguard our future by switching off."
Moreover, BRPL and BYPL also switched off all non-essential lights at their over 400 offices, spread across an area of around 900 sq km, during the appointed hour.
Earth Hour is a worldwide initiative organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The event started in Sydney, Australia, in 2007.
The event is marked on the last Saturday of March every year, encouraging institutions, communities, businesses and individuals to turn off non-essential electric lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. as a symbolic contribution to preservation of the planet.
As many as 190 countries across the globe participate in the Earth Hour every year, this year being the 16th edition, with residents switched off their electrical appliances and non-essential lighting fixtures for one hour starting at 8.30 p.m. (local time) to show their concern for the environment.
Egypt marked the annual global Earth Hour by turning off the lights of a number of landmarks across the country for 60 minutes, including Saladin Citadel, in the capital Cairo.
"We participate in Earth Hour by simultaneously switching off the lights of Saladin Citadel in Cairo, Qaitbay Citadel in Alexandria, the area of the Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan and the area of Deir el-Bahari temples in Luxor," said Mostafa Waziri, Head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) affiliated with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, on Saturday.
"The Ministry's participation in the event comes from its belief in the efforts of all countries to shed light on the phenomenon of global warming and raise awareness of its risks," the SCA Chief told Xinhua news agency.
In Cairo Governorate, unnecessary lights were also turned off by 50 per cent in the same hour, such as those in the governorate's main office and all public buildings, Xinhua news agency reported.
Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel-Aal said in a prior statement that Earth Hour is "a strong message" urging the preservation of natural resources for future generations.
"The participation aims to save energy, economise costs and reduce the gas emissions causing global warming, which is one of the most important topics to be discussed at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) scheduled for November in Sharm El-Sheikh," Abdel-Aal added.
The Cairo Governor also invited hotels, tourist facilities, and various authorities and institutions to follow suit and urged citizens to reduce energy consumption at their homes during Earth Hour.
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