When is earth hour 2017? What is earth hour and why do we observe it?

WHAT IS EARTH HOUR? Millions around the world turn off their lights for one hour every year as a part of an international blackout known as Earth Hour.   Earth Hour is one of world’s biggest

environmental events and brings together individuals and communities who share a passion for the environment. Iconic landmarks around the world - including buildings such as Big Ben and

Buckingham Palace in Britain - go dark in support of the event. WHEN IS EARTH HOUR 2107? Earth Hour will take place between 8.30pm and 9.30pm GMT on Saturday March 25.  This year celebrates

the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the Earth Hour movement in Sydney in 2007. In 2016 s total of 178 countries took part in Earth Hour and the lights were turned off at more than 400

landmarks around the world. WHY IS EARTH HOUR CELEBRATED? The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) set up the event as sign of their commitment to environmental protection. The WWF encourages

people, governments and organisations to take part in order to a strong message about CLIMATE CHANGE.  Siddarth Das, executive director of Earth Hour Global, said: “We started Earth Hour in

2007 to show leaders that climate change was an issue people cared about. “For that symbolic moment to turn into the global movement it is today, is really humbling and speaks volumes about

the powerful role of people in issues that affect their lives.” He added: “Our actions today will define tomorrow - WWF’s Earth Hour shows us that together we can create the sustainable

future we desire, and our children deserve.” But not everyone is supportive of Earth Hour, with many calling it a meaningless gesture. Bjørn Lomborg, an adjunct professor at the Copenhagen

Business School, noted the drop in electricity usage is overtaken by a spike in gas and coal station output. "The organizers say that they are providing a way to demonstrate one’s

desire to “do something” about global warming. But the reality is that Earth Hour teaches all the wrong lessens, and it actually increases CO2 emissions,” he wrote in a commentary for

Project Syndicate.  "During Earth Hour, any significant drop in electricity demand will entail a reduction in CO2 emissions during the hour, but it will be offset by the surge from

firing up coal or gas stations to restore electricity supplies afterward." The professor claimed that the entire world turning off its lights would only be equivalent to China stopping

its CO2 emissions for four minutes.