Granted, there are those who will protest that the environment is of far less importance than the plight of human life, considering the high levels of violence witnessed at home and abroad.
We cannot, however, dismiss the fact that our environment impacts directly on our daily lives and, thus, does need a mention now and then (but maybe not as often as the EFF screaming ”Pay back the money”).
It was, therefore, refreshing to note that Earth Hour has been gaining momentum since 2007, as this initiative brings the world closer together, by mobilising millions to highlight the need for climate action.
Earth Hour is a global movement from the World Wide Fund (WWF).
For those who missed it, from Antarctica to the International Space Station, a record number of individuals, businesses, city skylines and landmarks in 172 countries and territories switched off their lights on Saturday, March 28, to participate in the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment.
Over 1 400 landmarks switched off the lights, including the Empire State Building and the United Nations headquarters in New York, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Hong Kong’s iconic skyline.
Back home, South Africans voluntarily and involuntarily joined in the movement.
WWF South Africa’s Morné du Plessis did encourage SA citizens to switch off their lights for an hour in support of Earth Hour. Some complied and we congratulate them for their efforts.
Then, many others in our beloved country, including me, are supporting Earth Hour without even realising it, since our lights are regularly switched off by Eskom!
Eskom, after all, loves to dump our country into darkness, but instead of cheers for climate change you get nasty jeers for the parastatal’s lack of competence.
Take note Earth Hour: I will, indeed, meditate on our planet’s fate next time (which will probably be soon) darkness hugs me due to another Eskom emergency.
While we cannot dismiss the reality of Eskom’s crisis, neither can we ignore that climate change is already beginning to transform life on Earth.
Around the globe, seasons are shifting, temperatures are climbing and sea levels are rising.
And, meanwhile, our planet must still supply us – and all living things – with air, water, food and safe places to live.
Think about this – it is said sea levels are set to rise dramatically over the next 100 years, which threatens to inundate low-lying areas and islands, threaten dense coastal populations, erode shorelines, damage property and destroy ecosystems such as mangroves and wetlands that protect coasts against storms.
Then you have the planet heating up, with heat-trapping gases emitted by power plants, automobiles, deforestation and other sources being the culprits.
In fact, the five hottest years on record have all occurred since 1997, and the 10 hottest since 1990, including the warmest years on record – 2005 and 2010.
High temperatures are to blame for an increase in heat-related deaths and illness, rising seas, increased storm intensity, and many of the other dangerous consequences of climate change.
It is also good to know that Africa is on board to advocate climate change.
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad – a technical body of the African Union) Climate Change Fund was established in 2014 by the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, with support from the government of Germany.
Its objective is to focus on knowledge and capacity development for better planning, coordination and implementation of climate change activities.
In a video statement recorded for Earth Hour, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon echoed WWF’s belief that people will play a key role in solving climate change and that Earth Hour is a movement of millions, offering real solutions.
One has to agree wholeheartedly – we all need to start making a difference by considering how we have endangered this planet, including wildlife (poachers across the globe have inflicted untold damage), while we can also start taking simple action, like recycling.
If we don’t act now, climate change will rapidly alter the lands and waters upon which we all depend for survival, which will leave our children and grandchildren with a very different world that, possibly, could not sustain life.
After all, a collapsing climate that causes an environmental meltdown could have more devastating consequences than wars and conflicts in the long run.
