Turn out the lights! Earth Hour is on Saturday, and Bangkok residents are asked to “go dark”
Every year on the final Saturday of March, cities all across the world go dark for an hour as a symbolic action against global warming. Earth Day, which falls on April 22, is preceded by Earth Hour.
Since 2008, the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) and other partners have collaborated with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to organize the Earth Hour campaign.
According to the WWF, every year, almost 7,000 cities across 190 nations switch off their inactive lights and appliances for 60 minutes in an effort to cut down on power use, which is a primary cause of global warming.
During Earth Hour in 2023, the Thai capital’s power consumption fell by 36 megawatts, according to Somboon Hormnan, deputy permanent secretary of the BMA.
5.2 tons less CO2 were released as a result of the switch-off, and 61,324 baht less electricity was used overall.
This year, on Saturday night, five famous landmarks in Bangkok will also go dark for an hour. The Grand Palace (which houses the Emerald Buddha Temple), Wat Saket (Golden Mount Temple), the Giant Swing, Rama VIII Bridge, and the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) will all see light eclipses.
The BMA also recommended that, in order to raise public awareness and demonstrate Thais’ commitment to halting global warming, Bangkokians use the hashtags #EarthHour, #BiggestHourForEarth, and #MyHourForEarth in their social media posts.