History of Earth Hour
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2007
Earth Hour is born in Sydney, Australia on 31 March. The campaign unites 2.2 million Australians and delivers a strong and unmistakable message that climate change is an issue they care deeply about.
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2008
Earth Hour goes international. Nearly 400 cities in 35 countries participate in this global campaign, with major landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Colosseum in Rome going dark during Earth Hour.
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2009
Earth Hour breaks all records for mass participation, becoming the world’s largest movement for the environment. Hong Kong begins to mark Earth Hour. Prominent city landmarks including the International Finance Centre, the Cultural Centre and the Tsing Ma Bridge go dark for one hour, while the Symphony of Lights show
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2010
Taking place three months after the COP15 meeting in Copenhagen, widely regarded as a major setback to international climate change efforts, Earth Hour becomes a global call to action for a sustainable future.
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2011
The “Plus” sign is incorporated into the Earth Hour logo, signifying the campaign’s evolution beyond the hour.
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2012
After a petition launched by WWF-Russia for Earth Hour collects over 120,000 signatures, Russia passes a law which creates better protection from oil pollution for the country’s seas.
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2013
Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina uses Earth Hour to mobilize support to create the country’s largest marine protected area.
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2014
Following a powerful crowdsourcing campaign by Earth Hour, Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands – a UNESCO World Heritage site – become the country’s first province to pass a law prohibiting disposable plastic shopping bags and expanded polystyrene packaging.
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2015
A record breaking 172 countries and territories participate in Earth Hour.
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2016
Millions of people in 178 countries and territories celebrate the tenth Earth Hour.
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2017
Over 5,600 companies, organizations and buildings, and nearly 300 primary and secondary schools, took part in Earth Hour in Hong Kong.
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2018
Hong Kong joined 180 countries in switching off non-essential lighting, with 11,200 pledges to “Let Nature Shine”.
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2020
©G Marcoaldi WWF-Italy
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people from a record-breaking 190 countries and territories celebrated Earth Hour digitally and more than 20 countries and territories shared their countdown ceremony online. Hong Kong live-streamed our countdown celebration on WWF-Hong Kong’s Facebook page.