Q. Consider the following statements regarding ‘Earth Hour’:

  1. It is an initiative of UNEP and UNESCO.
  2. It is a movement in which the participants switch off the lights for one hour on a certain day every year.
  3. It is a movement to raise the awareness about the climate change and the need to save the planet.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct

  • 1 and 3 only
  • 2 only
  • 2 and 3 only
  • 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (c) 2 and 3 only

Notes:

Earth Hour
  • Earth Hour is the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF)’s annual initiative that began in 2007.
  • It encourages people from more than 180 countries to switch off the lights from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm as per their local time.
  • It is held every year on the last Saturday of March.
  • The idea is to refrain from the use of non-essential lighting to save energy in a symbolic call for environmental protection.
  • Significance:
    • Earth Hour aims to increase awareness and spark global conversations on protecting nature, tackling the climate crisis, and working together to shape a brighter future for humans.
    • The symbolic lights-out Earth Hour has become the world’s largest grassroots movement to raise awareness about climate change and energy conservation and to assure a sustainable, brighter future.
World Wildlife Fund
  • It is the world’s leading conservation organisation and works in more than 100 countries.
  • It was established in 1961 and is headquartered at Gland, Switzerland.
  • Mission:
    • To conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.
  • Other Initiatives of WWF:
    • TX2 Goal (a global commitment to double the world’s wild tigers by 2022)
    • TRAFFIC (a joint program of WWF and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)).
    • Living Planet Report.