Earth glows in the dark as Earth Hour is celebrated worldwide

File picture/ Evan Schneider/courtesy of the United Nations/UNifeed.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 – On Saturday, people worldwide observed the Earth Hour, where at 8.30 pm, businesses, organisations and individuals wishing to do their part to combat climate change, put a rest to non-essential electric lights for one hour.

In Malaysia, the WWF-Malaysia took a lead organising various events to mark the day including contests to promote conservation of earth resources and joining forces with TikTok, which has been raising awareness on Earth Hour this year.

In New York, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres in his message called on people called to do their part to “safeguard the planet”.

“We need to make peace with nature. Without nature’s help, we cannot thrive or even survive on this planet Earth”, he said.

He said there were solutions towards sustainable development.

“We can provide renewable energy and sustainable food systems for all. We can reduce emissions and use nature-based solutions to help us build a more resilient, carbon-neutral world”, he said. 

He also said the UN was proud to join in the global effort to mark Earth Hour.

As in the past years, the UN switched off its lights at its Headquarters in New York at 8:30 p.m local time.