EARTH HOUR 2017

Switch off to join the future

In 2017, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is celebrating 10 years of Earth Hour and 10 years of progress on tackling climate change.

Earth Hour launched in Sydney in 2007, with 2.2 million people and 2,100 businesses participating in the ‘lights off’ event. Just one year later, Earth Hour became a global phenomenon with over 35 countries, and an estimated 50-100 million people participating. 

2017 will mark the 10th anniversary of Earth Hour as a global phenomenon. It is now celebrated in over 172 countries and over 7,000 cities and towns worldwide. The symbolic hour has grown into the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment, with beyond-the-hour projects and initiatives happening throughout the year.

In Australia, Earth Hour is something that really brings communities together, with 1 in every 4 Australians taking part. In 2016, millions of Australians took part in Earth Hour to show their support for a low pollution, clean energy future.

On Saturday, 25th March, switch off to support progress 

for the next generation. 

Switch off to #JoinTheFuture. 

POLITICIANS, PUBLIC OPINION AND CLIMATE POLICY IN THE 2016 FEDERAL ELECTION

Climate change has not featured as a major issue so far in the federal election campaign. 

Both major parties have targets for emissions reductions which both claim can be achieved.  The Coalition target is a 26-28% reduction relative to 2005 levels by 2030 and Labor’s is a 45% cut over the same time frame.

Despite the politicians’confident claims, the effectiveness of their policies in meeting their targets is debatable.The Climate Change Authority saw a need for much stronger action, recommending 40-60% reductions relative to 2000 levels by 2030.

Political policy is obviously developed with community attitudes in mind.  Just how much community support is there for strong action on climate change?

Sydney University of Technology lecturer Deborah Cotton, who conducted a survey of community attitudes to climate policy in 2011, recently conducted another survey to see whether attitudes had changed.

Cotton says results suggest that concern about the climate is more widespread now than it was five years ago.  Now 75% of people believe it is an important global issue and 74% believe it was an important issue for Australia.

She says, “As to what we should do about it, we found that 57% of people want Australia to act on climate change irrespective of whether other countries do or not. This is significantly more than in 2011, when 50% of people were in this category.”

Many of those concerned about the need for urgent and much more effective climate action would like to see the profile of this issue raised in what is left of this long and tedious election campaign.

Recent events which have already raised the profile of climate change include the coral bleaching and along the Great Barrier Reef and elsewhere and the recent ferocious east coast low storm.

Effective and urgent climate action is not something we can put off.  It is vital for future generations of humans and other species.  It is also vital for our economic future that we implement strong measures now. Not doing so would lay an enormous economic as well as environmental burden on our children and grandchildren.

           

 - Leonie Blain