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By Sophia Jewell, ESPC Volunteer
Sophia Jewell is a research assistant at the University of Alberta and an independent scholar preparing for a PhD in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Her research explores identity, place, and cultural geography in Slavic communities, examining how migration, patriotism, and intercultural belonging shape transnational identities. She is passionate about contributing to the community through research.
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Earth Hour offers a valuable opportunity to think about the importance of participatory and collective action in helping us reach environmental goals. This post explores the significance of Earth Hour and considers how Edmontonians can play an active role.
What is Earth Hour?
Earth Hour, the world’s largest grassroots environmental movement (WWF, 2024), is a global event that takes place on the last Saturday of March from 8:30 to 9:30 pm MST. During Earth Hour, individuals, businesses, and tourist attractions turn off their lights or spend an hour doing activities that benefit the earth to express solidarity in the face of climate change and environmental challenges. Earth Hour began on March 31, 2007 in Australia, where over 2 million people in Sydney turned off their lights for one hour (Baum, 2020). The event was organized by the World Wildlife Fund and quickly became a global phenomenon. Since 2007, millions of people around the world have joined the event, with over 185 countries (Baum, 2020) and over 17,000 cultural and historical landmarks (Kountouris, 2022) around the world, including the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, (BBC, 2024) the Tokyo Tower, Christ the Redeemer, the Sydney Opera House, Niagara Falls, and the CN Tower (Mortillaro, 2014) participating by turning off their lights. Earth Hour has been a catalyst for environmental initiatives such as the creation of Argentina’s largest marine protected area, the establishment of a national park in Malaysia, stronger climate legislation in Switzerland and Scotland, and the banning of plastic bags and disposable packaging on the Galápagos Islands (WWF, 2024).
Why it Matters:
While the tangible effects of climate change and increased research and advocacy efforts have brought greater awareness to environmental issues in recent times, our society still struggles with denial, inaction, and uncertainty about how to respond. As Robert Glifford, a professor at the University of Victoria, noted, psychological barriers play a big part in preventing climate action (Einarson, 2022). The City of Edmonton has aimed to address some of the structural barriers to climate action through initiatives that encourage recycling and composting as well as renewable energy projects. Nevertheless, in order to increase public awareness and support for these initiatives, it is critical to address some of the psychological barriers around climate action. A survey of Edmontonians found that while people were aware of sustainability issues, they often did not perceive them as relevant to local communities and daily life (City of Edmonton, 2011). Studies have shown that even when people understand the importance of combating climate change in general, they often fail to act because “they do not comprehend the beneficial impact that they can have” (Olexsak & Meier, 2014, p. 160).
Earth Hour can play a key role in addressing these barriers. Earth Hour is a symbolic, global event which aims to overcome inaction by turning participants “from passive observers, to active participants in the pursuit of environmental goals” (Kountouris, 2022, p. 1). Research studies have documented that in order to create sustained climate action, a supportive social environment and collective participatory action is essential (Olexsak and Meier, 2014). Earth Hour is “part of a public awareness campaign on the importance of community participation” (Rijal, 2021, p. 289). By building a “public awareness to care,” (Rijal, 2021, p. 294) Earth Hour can contribute to broader mobilization efforts. It sends the message that our individual actions matter. It sends the message that collectively, small actions can make a big impact.
Although “the goal of Earth Hour is not to reduce electricity consumption or carbon emissions for the duration of the event” (Baum, 2020), and although Earth Hour has sometimes been criticized for having a minimal direct impact on overall climate change (Dean, 2011), many countries have documented sustained electricity savings due to Earth Hour, with electricity demands being reduced by as much as 28% in Canada during Earth Hour (Olexsak & Meier, 2014).
Earth Hour in Edmonton:
As scholars have noted, climate change is multifaceted and creates disasters which are natural, ecological, and social in nature. In turn, it creates environmental problems which are systemic (Rijal, 2021) and disproportionately affect people around the world, increasing social, economic, and health inequalities. Leif Einarson (2022) reports that “Canada, Australia, and the U.S. are collectively responsible for nearly 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.” This gives Canadians a unique responsibility to reduce our individual impact (Einarson, 2022). Studies have found that the highest intensity of household greenhouse emissions in Canada is in Edmonton, followed by Calgary (Fercovic & Gulati, 2015). Nevertheless, this also means that Edmontonians are in a unique position to make a difference in the global battle against climate change. Our actions can have a powerful impact. As one report highlights, “The average household in Alberta can stop about 790 grams of greenhouse gas emissions for every kilowatt hour of electricity they reduce” (Einarson, 2022). Studies have shown that during Earth Hour, little actions can make a big difference, so let’s take this as an opportunity to become leaders of global change.
How to Participate:
This year, participate in Earth Hour on Saturday, March 22 by turning out lights and non-essential appliances from 8:30-9:30 pm. Other ways to participate include:
– Share information about Earth Hour on social media: #EarthHourYeg #BiggestHourForEarth
– Spend one hour doing something positive for the environment – you can even log your hour on the WWF website by clicking here: https://www.earthhour.org/take-part/give-an-hour?hsCtaTracking=3f179703-bff9-4a74-aa0a-582a597a6e52%7Ce933db44-6e29-41ff-83dd-6c6b358deb73
– Try out the World Wildlife Fund’s free action challenges: https://explore.panda.org/zero-to-hero
– Cast your vote to reduce plastic pollution in rivers and oceans: https://wwf.panda.org/act/plastic_pollution_treaty/
– Donate to the World Wildlife Fund: https://wwf.panda.org/support_wwf/
References:
Baum, K. (2020, March 31). Sydney, Australia, holds world’s first Earth Hour: Moments in time March 31, 2007. The Globe and Mail.
BBC (2024, March 23). Famous landmarks around the world power down for Earth Hour. https://www.bbc.com/news/av-embeds/world-68648866
City of Edmonton. (2011). The way we green: The city of Edmonton’s environmental strategic plan. Urban Climate Action Network, https://uccrnna.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/42_Edmonton_2011_The-Way-We-Green.pdf.
Dean, R. (2011). Seeing the light on Earth Hour. Quadrant, 32-33.
Einarson, Leif. (2022, March 23). GreenUP: How Earth Hour and other small steps can overcome our barriers. Peterborough Examiner, https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/greenup-how-earth-hour-and-other-small-steps-can-overcome-our-barriers/article_fdb42ce5-2f19-5520-b3f9-91e3f70af8e7.html?
Fercovic, J., & Gulati, S. (2016). Comparing household greenhouse gas emissions across Canadian cities. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 60, 96-111.
Kountouris, Y. (2022). Awareness days and environmental attitudes: The case of the “Earth Hour.” Ecological Economics, 195, 1-17.
Mortillaro, N. (2014, March 29). World landmarks participate in Earth Hour. Global News, https://globalnews.ca/news/1236849/world-landmarks-to-participate-in-earth-hour-march-29/
Olexsak, S., & Meier, A. (2014). The electricity impacts of Earth Hour: An international comparative analysis of energy-saving behavior. Energy Research & Social Science, 2, 159-182.
Rijal, N., & Widiatmojo, R. (2021). Public awareness campaigns model of global civil society at the local level: Case of Earth Hour Malang. Global Strategis, 15(2), 287-319.
World Wildlife Fund (2024). Milestones over the years. 60 Earth Hour, https://www.earthhour.org/about/milestones
