“More than saying what is not being done, it is important to say that more needs to be done”, says the founder of ANP|WWF in Portugal about the Earth Hour initiative

Ângela Morgado states that, in general, people are concerned “about the health of the planet and want to preserve the habitats of emblematic species and landscapes and, therefore, they are considering changing their habits”, considering young people to be those who are “most under alert”. A report last year from GlobeScan confirms the growing awareness of climate change, but the belief that individual actions can effectively mitigate the effects of climate change is not keeping up.

Showing that individual actions make a difference is precisely what the “Small actions, big impact” campaign aims to do, through the program of activities dedicated to Earth Hour next Saturday.

Repeating the concept created in 2023, this year a “Time Bank” is available on the Earth Hour website, which invites individual people, local authorities, companies and organizations to register the activities they will carry out in favor of the environment, be they a walk, collecting rubbish, researching information about climate change or having dinner in the dark. In the end, the aim is to count how many hours were “donated” to the regeneration of the planet. In 2023, a total of 410 thousand hours were completed worldwide. How many will there be in 2024? To participate in this year’s edition, registration can be done using this form.

Although the initiative is known for the “blackout”, during which the lights in houses and cities are turned off for an hour, this is merely symbolic. The purpose is not to save energy or count the energy expenditure of cities, but rather to raise people’s awareness of the fact that the planet needs to be protected and preserved. To achieve this, it is important that individual behaviors are changed beyond this time, in order to place less pressure on natural resources.