Lights out in Queensland for Earth Hour

Queenslanders are being urged to turn off their lights for one hour next month as part of Earth Hour 2008, the WWF-led climate change initiative that has gained worldwide momentum.

With broad local and state government support, the event is part of a campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take simple steps to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

WWF-Australia is today asking Queenslanders to support Earth Hour by turning off their lights between 8pm and 9pm on March 29.

“We must increase our efforts in addressing climate change and the time to act is now,” said WWF spokesman Nick Heath.

“Reducing the world’s emissions is a shared responsibility. Each city needs to commit to reducing its carbon output and every single person has a role to play.”

Many of Australia’s most treasured natural wonders are threatened by climate change, including Queensland’s iconic Great Barrier Reef.

“We need ongoing and broad community support to make a real difference to the problem of global warming and to protect special ecosystems such as the Reef,” Mr Heath said.

Last year, more than 2 million Sydney residents joined Earth Hour, resulting in an impressive 10.2 per cent drop in energy usage across the usually glittering CBD.

Mr Heath has challenged Queenslanders to do even better than their southern counterparts in 2008, and thereby show the world how serious they are about being environmentally responsible.

“Earth Hour is not a one-off event,” he said. “Hopefully, it is something that will encourage people to be more conscious about the use of energy on a daily basis.”

Earth Hour 2008 has a distinctly international flavour with 16 cities from around the globe currently signed up, with the possibility of more joining before March 29.

Cities such as Chicago, Copenhagen, Toronto, Manila, Christchurch, Suva and Tel Aviv have joined a number of Australian locations in turning off lights for one hour to tackle climate change head on.