By Alec Go
Malacañang called on the public to join the symbolic switching off of lights at 8:30 p.m. tonight (March 26), as the world celebrates Earth Hour or the movement uniting people to take action against climate change.
In a statement, acting presidential spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar noted the country’s vulnerability to climate change and other environmental concerns.
“The Philippines is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and this year’s Earth Hour is a good reminder that climate change and global warming are real issues that we need to pay more attention to and require urgent action,” he said.
“Let us switch off all non-essential lights tonight, 8:30PM as a show of solidarity and active involvement in shaping our future,” he added.
The yearly movement to switch off lights during the last Saturday of March is brought about by the initiatives of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) which began in Sydney, Australia in 2007, with more than 2.2 million individuals and 2,000 businesses participants.
Read more: Earth Hour 2022: Ways to spend the special hour
On March 25, the Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) expressed support anew on the WWF-Philippines’ Earth Hour campaign, saying that public participation will “make a significant contribution to our country’s energy efficiency and conservation efforts.”
According to https://www.earthhour.org, the event has pushed for the creation of the world’s first Earth Hour Forest in Uganda, drove over 250,000 Russians to voice support for their country’s seas and forests protection, as well as the Senate bill passage for a 3.4 million-hectare Marine Protected Area in Argentina. –bny
