Our Global Alliance is a network of global organisations committed to environmental action who share the ambition of The Prize to repair the planet, as well as academic and non-profit institutions and private sector alliances from around the world. Our Global Alliance and nominators are a key part of Earthshot, and as such, their news is great news for the environment and something we look forward to sharing on a regular basis.  

This week, our Global Alliance Partner WWF introduces Earth Hour and explains how it can make a difference in the fight for our world.

On Saturday 27 March at 8:30pm GMT millions of people across the world will switch off their lights for an hour. It’s Earth Hour: an opportunity to show appreciation for nature and join one of the world’s biggest movements for our planet.

Earth Hour is a brilliant entry point for people to the environmental movement, consistently 9 out of 10 people say they feel inspired to do more to protect the planet.

Usually, landmarks across the country join in too. From the London Eye to Edinburgh Castle, the UK’s most iconic buildings plunged into darkness – sending a clear message that we need to put nature at the heart of our decisions. Community groups across the country would also come together to dance, sing, and spend time celebrating our planet.

But this year, the world is a different place and Earth Hour is a different event.

In the face of ever-changing circumstances, we’ve had to adapt. So this year, we’re focusing on individual footprints and how, if we collectively make a change, we can make a difference. We’re asking people to take a step back and think, “What can I do to help our planet?”

Earth Hour 2021 is here to unite people to speak up for nature. By 2030, nature and wildlife could be recovering all around us. We could have new green jobs, cleaner air and a healthier future for our children. Everyone has a part to play in making that happen – and Earth Hour is a good place to start.

We’re joined by millions of others who also care about our planet, all switching off in solidarity. We feel connected to a global community who are all committed to doing their bit to tackle climate change and protect our planet. It reminds us that we all have a part to play.

There’s power in collective action. It shouldn’t be underestimated, because bit by bit, we really can make a difference.

Here’s how you can get involved:

1. Switch your lights off on Saturday 27th March at 20:30
2. Download the My Footprint app (on IOS and Android) and set a challenge for you or your family
3. Spread the word: the more people taking action = nature and wildlife recovering faster

We’re encouraging people to take charge of their environmental footprint by taking on an Earth Hour challenge through the new My Footprint app. Whether it’s looking at the food you eat or the energy supplier you use, the app provides a host of simple but effective actions, making it easy to make simple lifestyle changes that help the planet.

When we make changes in our own lives, talk about it and call for change, we inspire change around us. Before long, we’re part of a global movement that governments and businesses simply can’t ignore, with the power to put our planet on the path to recovery.

As a global movement Earth Hour has had so many different kinds of impacts from collective action:

• In 2019 participants of Earth Hour in Peru took part in a bicycle race and installed an anti-pollution ethos for the country by picking up litter along the way.
• In 2016 Earth Hour Spain got 50,000 citizens to urge the Spanish government to stop using fossil fuels and start using renewable energy.
• Earth Hour brought positive change to the Galapagos Islands in 2014, when the UNESCO World Heritage site was the first province in Ecuador to ban plastic bags.
• In 2019 1.7 million people in Finland got together for Earth Hour to encourage green eating.
• In 2019 Earth Hour kick-started efforts in Indonesia to plant 20,000 mangrove seedlings. They’re now home to ¼ of the world’s mangrove population.
• Earth Hour Ecuador helped pass a law in Quito in 2019 to ban single-use plastic packaging.
• The Earth Hour Bhutan have worked with local communities to help establish a climate science centre and weather station.
• Thanks to the people of French Polynesia and the Earth Hour team, over 5 million square kilometers of open sea in the South Pacific was reclassified as a marine protected area.
• In 2013 Uganda established the first even Earth Hour forest: 2,700 hectares of land protected for nature to thrive.

With 2021 being a critical year for action on climate and nature, there’s never been a better time to take part.