Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:12p.m. UTC
MEDIA RELEASE: CHINA, INDIA AND EMERGING COUNTRIES LEAD CALL FOR ACTION ON CLIMATE
CHANGE
Video footage and images of Bird's Nest going dark available at http://www.divshare.com/folder/518587-955
On March 28, China, the world's fastest developing economy, will signal to the rest
of the world its readiness to address the issue of climate change.
Organisers have already conducted a rehearsal to ensure that at 8.30pm the lights
will go dark for Earth Hour on the Bird's Nest Stadium, the Water Cube, Ling Long
Tower and Pangu Plaza in Beijing.
The Shanghai Government has officially announced its formal participation in Earth
Hour 2009 and committed to turning out all municipal and district government office
buildings. The Oriental Pearl Tower and the 492m high Shanghai World Financial Center
will also go dark.
Countries with developing and emerging economies have emerged as the driving force
behind the tremendous growth in this year's campaign. Of the 83 countries currently
participating in Earth Hour 2009, there are 47 with developing and emerging economies*,
up from the nine that took part last year.
India, the world's second most populated country with the second fastest growing
economy, will join Earth Hour's global call for action on climate change for the
first time.
The Government of Delhi is officially supporting Earth Hour and has started appealing
to citizens in leading national newspapers to turn off their lights on March 28.
Bollywood star Aamir Khan has thrown his support behind the campaign saying "a failure
to come to sound policy outcomes on climate change will not only have a negative
environmental impact but also social and economic consequences for all of us."
Participation in Earth Hour will be widespread throughout India, with activities
taking place in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram, Dehradun,
Shimla, Chandigarh and Hyderabad. Students and educational institutions are showing
tremendous support for Earth Hour in India.
Mumbai's best known landmarks, Reserve Bank and Air India buildings, and Indian
Tourism Development Corporation's flagship Ashok Hotel, are slated to switch off
as will hundreds of other buildings across the city, including the offices of Indian
IT giants like WIPRO and Infosys.
WWF's Global Climate Initiative China Director Ms. Yanli Hou said the strong support
for Earth Hour in China and India is undermining one of the central arguments used
in parts of the developed world to resist taking strong action on climate change.
"For too long people have been saying that they can't tackle climate change until
China and India do so too. The success of Earth Hour shows that the people of these
countries are in fact ready and willing to take the lead on climate change," said
Ms Hou.
Other major cities in emerging and developing countries that are participating in
Earth Hour include Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Beunos Aires, Jakarta, Istanbul, Seoul,
Mexico City and Manila.
Earth Hour Executive Director, Mr Andy Ridley, said that the role of developing
economies is crucial to addressing the issue of climate change, particularly considering
the UN Climate Change Conference is taking place later this year in Copenhagen.
"If the developing world shows a commitment to sustainable economic development,
leaders of developed nations will be obliged to follow their direction," said Mr
Ridley.
* Emerging and developing economies sourced from the International Monetary Fund's
World Economic Outlook Report, April 2008
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For more information please contact:
Billy Gentle
Earth Hour Global
T: +61 2 8202 1243 / M: +61 (0) 410 161 789
E: bgentle@wwf.org.au
Andrew Sedger
Earth Hour Global
T: +61 2 8202 1224 / M: +61 (0) 438 387 792
E: asedger@wwf.org.au
About Earth Hour
Earth Hour is a global WWF climate change initiative. Individuals, businesses, governments
and communities are invited to turn out their lights for one hour on Saturday March
28, 2009 at 8:30 PM to show their support for action on climate change. The event
began in Sydney in 2007, when 2 million people switched off their lights. In 2008,
more than 50 million people around the globe participated. In 2009, Earth Hour aims
to reach out to 1 billion people in 1,000 cities.
About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations,
with almost five million supporters and a global network active in more than 100
countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment
and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving
the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources
is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption