Power down for the planet: Bangkok joins global Earth Hour

To combat climate change, Bangkokians are urged to power off their lights and unused appliances from 8.30pm to 9.30pm tomorrow, aligning with the annual Earth Hour tradition observed internationally on the penultimate Saturday of March.

Spearheaded by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and other partners since 2008, this symbolic gesture serves as a prelude to Earth Day on April 22.

According to WWF, over 7,000 cities in 190 countries participate annually, dimming their skylines for 60 minutes to slash electricity consumption, a significant contributor to global warming.

Last year, Bangkok witnessed a remarkable 36-megawatt drop in power usage during Earth Hour, resulting in a reduction of 5.2 tonnes of CO2 emissions and a whopping saving of 61,324 baht on the electricity bill, as revealed by BMA deputy permanent secretary, Somboon Hormnan.

This year promises an even grander spectacle as five iconic Bangkok landmarks, including the Grand Palace, Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun), Giant Swing, Rama VIII Bridge, and Wat Saket (Golden Mount Temple), will embrace darkness for the hour-long event, reported The Nation.

To amplify the message, the BMA encourages Bangkokians to utilise hashtags #EarthHour #BiggestHourForEarth #MyHourForEarth across social media platforms, showcasing Thailand’s commitment to combating the climate crisis.

In related news, the Chief of Outreach & Engagement at the UN Global Compact highlighted a pressing need for stronger collective action from all stakeholders to reach the United Nation’s sustainable development goals by 2030. During a media interaction in Thailand, Sue Allchurch expressed concerns about the sluggish progress towards these goals, despite global recognition of their importance.

In other news, Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke at the Sustainability Week Asia 2024 event hosted by Economist Impact, under The Economist media group, held at The Athenee Hotel, Bangkok.

In his opening remarks, Parnpree rallied an esteemed audience comprising business magnates, both domestic and international, alongside government representatives, academia, and experts.