The World Wildlife Fund (WWF)’s Earth Hour, observed annually on the last Saturday of March, will be celebrated virtually today with all public events being cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.

“At its core #, EarthHour has always been about the power of the people. During these times, whilst we may not be able to get together in person, we can still symbolically stand in solidarity with millions of others across the world from the comfort of our own homes,” Earth Hour official had tweeted.

Earth Hour, WWF’s annual initiative that began in 2007 encourages people to switch off the lights from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm as per their local time.

“The idea is to refrain from the use of non-essential lighting to save energy in a symbolic call for environmental protection,” writes Darren Thackeray in an official blog post on the World Economic Forum’s website.

Earth hour since then has become a more all-encompassing environmental protection movement, which witnessed participation from over 180 countries in 2019.

Earth Hour official will live-stream its events this year as nations across the globe have declared shutdowns in light of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

“From influencer Q&A sessions, to live performances and contests, stay tuned for our directory of live streams around the world you can tune in to on the night of Earth Hour,” it said in an official statement.

“Get creative & take some time to de-stress: play board games with the family, have a candlelit dinner or do some stargazing. Show us how you're participating by using #EarthHour on your social media channel,” Earth Hour Official tweeted.

Countries across the globe including WWF India will host events virtually today during Earth Hour at 8:30 pm local time.

: Earth hour, sustainability, WWF, COVID-19

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