LGUs urged to support Earth Hour

MANILA, Philippines — Local officials were urged to support the Earth Hour 2018 initiative by mobilizing their constituents to switch off their lights tomorrow to express their support for Mother Earth.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) officer-in-charge Eduardo Año called on local officials to mobilize their constituents to take part in the annual celebration of Earth Hour tomorrow to support initiatives to mitigate the effects of climate change.

“On March 24, let us show our solidarity with the global campaign to combat climate change by observing Earth Hour. This simple act when done collectively will reduce carbon emissions and somehow help mitigate climate change,” Año said.

This year’s Earth Hour, with the theme #Connect2Earth, will happen from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday. 

The main event will be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila. 

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and became the largest collective environmental movement in the world.

Organized by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature or WWF, Earth Hour is a global campaign to showcase the efforts being done to combat climate change by turning off lights for one hour.

Based on previous Earth Hour celebrations in the Philippines, having lights out during the event can save more than 360 megawatts in one hour, equivalent to more than 200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Año said all local government units and the public should act now against climate change by joining the whole world in switching off their lights for at least one hour tomorrow.

“We likewise encourage the private sector to turn off their lights and other signages in their facilities during Earth Hour as their operations and businesses will allow,” he said.

Outgoing National Youth Commission (NYC) chair Aiza Seguerra urged the Filipino youth to take part in different activities for the annual celebration of Earth Hour. 

Seguerra said young Filipinos should join the country in sending a clear and strong message to take more serious steps in protecting our planet’s biodiversity from the effects of climate change.

“Aside from switching off our lights, we enjoin our young people, especially millennials, to disconnect from their mobile devices and instead connect with the planet, and for an hour, dedicate the symbolic switch-off to commit to live a climate-smart lifestyle,” Seguerra said. 

The NYC also encouraged volunteers and registered youth organizations to join local Earth Hour activities and commit to go beyond the hour by living more sustainably to minimize our ecological imprint. 

“We encourage young Filipinos to take up the cudgels in the fight against the effects of climate change and contribute tangible actions for the planet,” NYC commissioner Paul Pangilinan added. 

“These actions can be as simple as using a tabo when taking a bath or bringing your own tumbler or grocery bag,” he said. 

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) also urged millions of Filipinos participating in this year’s Earth Hour to take the next step and live an environment-friendly lifestyle that goes beyond the hour.

“We must go beyond merely switching off lights for an hour if we really want to make a greater impact in fighting climate change. Let us regard every hour of every day as an opportunity to do more, so that nature may fully shine,” Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said.

“What will matter more in global efforts to tame climate change are the things we do between the annual celebrations of Earth Hour – they should, cumulatively, provide the cause for the celebrations,” Cimatu said.

He said it is high time people go beyond the given hour and make it a habit to use less energy and adopt other eco-friendly measures to mitigate the effects of climate change.

“The challenge for us is to do more beyond Earth Hour, and on a continuing basis,” Cimatu said.

Cimatu has also instructed all DENR regional offices and bureaus to conduct activities in support of  the one-hour switch off event.

Although the Philippines has a relatively smaller carbon footprint compared to other nations, Cimatu said this should not be an excuse but a reason for the country to be a leading advocate of climate change mitigation and adaptation, being one of the territories most vulnerable to the impacts of the global phenomenon.  – Janvic Mateo, Rhodina Villanueva