Climate change knows no boundaries; and that’s why climate action needs to transcend the borders of individual countries- perfectly exemplified in these regions below who are joining forces to #ChangeClimateChange.
Witnessing these countries come together to tackle an inter-connected problem like climate change reminds us yet again that people and places are more connected than ever, and it’s up to us to act today for a better tomorrow.
SOUTHEAST ASIA:
In 2015, the haze in Southeast Asia made headlines around the world. In a matter of a few weeks, the burning forests and peatlands caused Indonesia to jump several places into the top five global greenhouse gas emitters.
The fires, caused by unsustainable plantation practices, damaged 2 million hectares of forest, impacting wildlife and creating haze pollution which affected the health of hundreds of thousands of people in Indonesia as well as in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia.
© WWF-Indonesia
This year, for Earth Hour 2016, WWF teams in the three countries have decided to join forces and shine a light on protecting peatland forests and the important climate role they play in storing large amounts of carbon.
Running a three-pronged approach, the teams will work simultaneously with policymakers in Indonesia, businesses headquartered in Singapore and civil society across the three countries to promote awareness on the role of peatlands in changing climate change and the importance of sustainable palm oil practices in preventing haze pollution and deforestation.
AFRICA:
This year, WWF teams in six African countries -- Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zimbabwe -- are using Earth Hour to drive awareness on the causes and impacts of climate change on the continent and the role people can play in climate action.
From initiatives to create a new generation of environmental leaders through school education programmes, to campaigns to protect forests and promote access to renewables, teams on the ground are running a two-month campaign to shine a light on Africa’s potential to make climate change history.
© WWF Kenya
To tackle the challenge which poses a threat to the continent’s food and water security, wildlife and habitats and biodiversity, people need to be a part of climate solutions and that is what Earth Hour 2016’s regional campaign hopes to achieve. Agree? Add your voice to our thunderclap for Africa today!
LATIN AMERICA:
People are at the centre of climate change and climate solutions. That is why WWF teams across nine countries in Latin America -- Colombia, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay -- are using Earth Hour to run a massive crowdsourcing campaign to understand which climate issues matter most to people in each country and the actions they would be willing to take to change climate change.
With the impacts of climate change varying from region to region, it is critical to understand what affects communities the most in order to address the challenge and build their resilience. Visit horadelplaneta.org today to share your voice now.
© Prefectura Guayas
CYBERSPACE:
Today, the word ‘connected’ has become synonymous with social media. Yet, the word could just as well apply to climate change, which is showing us, at an increasing frequency, the extent to which our present and future actions are linked.
That is why, this year, we are calling on Earth Hour supporters around the world to ‘donate their social power’ and shine a light on the urgency and need for climate action. Visit earthhour.org/ClimateAction and in a few clicks, donate your Facebook feed and social media profile pictures to Earth Hour to help spread the word on climate issues and inspire your friends and family to join the movement.
As UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, ‘climate change is a people problem. People cause climate change and people suffer from climate change. People can also solve climate change’.
Seeing these countries come together to fight climate change is indeed a reminder of that, and we hope you’re inspired to do your part to shine a light on climate action! Take the first step today - join the movement and find out how you can help #ChangeClimateChange.