A darkened monument in St. Petersburg, Russia, during Earth Hour.
Valentin Yegorshin/Getty Images.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, lockdowns began, freeways emptied, airports went peaceful, and the relentless tromping of people stopped. The Earth saw. Among other things, carbon emissions dropped, air quality improved, and, in Venice’s no-longer-so-murky canals, jellyfish might be seen sliding along.
More than a single person wondered whether the abrupt shift might lead mankind to reconsider how it lives on the world Expense Gates, for one, said that “ if we discover the lessons of COVID-19, we can approach climate change more informed about the effects of inaction.”
The World Wildlife Fund has actually zeroed in on that concept as part of its annual Earth Hour observance, in which it asks people to shut down their lights for an hour in the evening to accentuate the climate crisis and other ecological problems.
Find Out More: COVID-19 offered the planet a break. Now’s the time to maintain the momentum
Earth Hour 2021’s non-light-show happened March 27 from 8: 30 to 9: 30 p.m. regional time, and this year also boasted a part that might extend well beyond the hour. The first-ever Earth Hour Virtual Spotlight urged people to get hectic “taking control of the social networks feeds of millions around the world and putting the spotlight on our planet, the issues we deal with, and our place within all of it.”
And so people did overnight, sharing social media posts of darkened cityscapes, moonlit landscapes and spaces lit just by candles.
The World Wildlife Fund in the UK likewise offered up some concepts of how we can use this #EarthHour minute as a primary step towards greater planetary awareness.
Thank you to everyone who participated in #EarthHour this year. You, together with millions all over the world came together for our world.
It does not stop there. Here are some concepts of what you can do next. https://t.co/y7LGtkRPQT
— WWF UK (@wwf_uk) March 28, 2021
Individuals are meant to do that by sharing a video in which the Earth Hour team utilizes the pandemic as a springboard into a discussion of conservation and sustainability. Human encroachment on animal environments is “forcing wildlife into closer contact with each other, our animals and people,” the video says, “and all this makes it simpler for diseases to spread out in between animals and to us.” And “the danger of future pandemics will only increase unless we repair our broken relationship with nature.”
The pandemic, however, “has actually shown us that we have it within us to make a change,” the video adds, indicating things like working from home. “We have actually seen that we can adjust to brand-new ways of working. Let’s now explore new lifestyles that put people and planet first.”
You can check out the video below, you can learn more about the Earth Hour Virtual Spotlight on the Earth Hour website, and if 8: 30 p.m. on March 27 hasn’t yet reoccured in your neck of the woods, you can sign up with the Earth Hour observance by switching off your lights for 60 minutes.
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