Earth Hour 2021

Once again this year, the planet will be plunged into symbolic darkness as a reminder of the importance of the fight against climate change in a global event that has already become the largest voluntary action ever organised.

The conservation organisation WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) is calling on individuals, businesses, governments, councils and other organisations to join this initiative, which will take place on Saturday 27 March, between 8.30 and 9.30 pm.

Connect with nature

This year will be a decisive one for the protection of nature according to WWF. Throughout 2021, world leaders are expected to make key policy decisions regarding climate action, sustainable development and nature.

In May, the 15th Biodiversity Conference will take place in Kunming, China, after having been originally scheduled for October 2020 and delayed on account of the pandemic. This meeting, together with the 2021 Climate Change Conference in November in Glasgow, which also had to be postponed to this year, will mark 2 key milestones in achieving an ambitious global plan to transform society's relationship with biodiversity and in ensuring that, by 2050, the shared vision of living harmoniously with nature is fulfilled.

During Earth Hour, WWF seeks to remind us of the importance of nature for our survival and of the need to take immediate action to address the climate crisis.

Origin of Earth Hour

The first edition of Earth Hour took place in Sydney in 2007, though the idea was born three years earlier when the nature conservation group WWF wanted to involve the Australians into the climate change problem. For this purpose, they asked advertising agency Leo Burnett to devise a campaign. And they sure did.

On March 31th, 2007, with the support of local government, the most populous city in Australia went dark for an hour.

There was such a visual impact that in subsequent editions around twenty buildings and monuments throughout the world joined the enterprise: the Empire State, the Golden Gate, the roman Coliseum, London’s City Hall, Petronas Towers… The seed was sown.

Ever since, most public buildings interrupt their lighting for sixty minutes, and there are also many private companies who assist the event by turning off their neon signs.

ACCIONA with Earth Hour 2016

For the third consecutive year, ACCIONA will also participate in this campaign to raise awareness on the urgency to act against global warming. And will do so by turning off the lights of its main buildings in Madrid, Navarra and Bilbao. In addition, the company encourages all employees to participate in the blackout and disseminate among their relatives and friends the importance of this event.

Sources: Earth Hour and WWF.