Wwf’s Earth Hour Set To Break All Records
Published 24th Mar 2010 by Kellie Hulbert

On Saturday, Brighton will join other hundreds of other towns, cities, businesses and schools across the UK and switch off their lights between 8.30 and 9.30 to support WWF’s Earth Hour and show they care about climate change.



Brighton and Hove City Council and the The Argus have signed up to switch off their lights for an hour and Healthwalk Group are hosting a torch lit procession in support of Earth Hour.



A record breaking 118 countries and territories are taking part this year in what is anticipated to be the greatest climate change event on earth.



In the UK more than 60,000 people, 86 local authorities, and over 1500 schools and 160 MPs have already signed up. It's not too late to get involved and WWF are calling on all local communities to sign up and switch for Earth Hour on www.wwf.org.uk/earthhour. Counties can monitor their progress on our sign-up challenge map http://earthhour.wwf.org.uk/get_involved/take_part/signup_challenge/. You can find out where your county ranks and how many more sign-ups are needed for it to move up a space.



Intense lobbying by MPs has resulted in Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament adding their names to an impressive list of London landmarks switching off their lights for an hour this Saturday. Others going dark in the capital include St Paul’s Cathedral, Royal Albert Hall, Piccadilly Circus, BT Tower, Natural History Museum, and the London Eye, who will be dimming their lights for the hour.



Edinburgh Castle, Stormont, Wales Millennium Stadium, Belfast City Hall and Big Wheel, Old Trafford, Merseyside Maritime Museum, Durham Cathedral, and HMS Victory are also switching off the lights.



Colin Butfield, Head of Campaigns at WWF-UK says:



"'Across the UK communities are continuing to sign up to Earth Hour and get involved by holding candlelit quizzes and torch lit processions. 1500 schools have signed up to switch off - already 100 more than last year sending out a message to our county's leaders to take immediate action against climate change."



“The phenomenal level of support for Earth Hour this year is a clear demonstration that individuals, businesses, and organisations are standing up and demanding action on climate change. The simple action of switching off the lights for an hour is uniting people across all seven continents and will send out a message that world leaders cannot fail to ignore.”



Climate change is one of the most serious threats facing people and nature, and demands urgent global action. Last year, world leaders missed a key opportunity to agree a global climate deal in Copenhagen, but with each year of delay, the impacts on people and wildlife become more severe and the window of opportunity gets smaller. Earth Hour will show world leaders they need to finish the job.



And after Earth Hour, voters in the marginal seats of Brighton Kemptown are being encouraged to join WWF and a coalition of environmental charities to 'Ask the Climate Question' to prospective parliamentary candidates in the General Election.



The ACQ campaign is encouraging people to demand ambitious action on climate change from canvassers on their doorsteps over the election period. The aim is to ensure that these marginal seats help keep climate change at the top of the political agenda.

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