“Flip off the lights, and transfer the world in the direction of a greater future for all,” UN Secretary Basic António Guterres mentioned in a message for the occasion.
The UN chief recalled that 2023 was the most well liked in historical past, and this yr’s celebration is a worldwide demonstration of solidarity to comply with a special path.
“On Earth Hour, hundreds of thousands of individuals all over the world change off the lights to shine a light-weight on the plight of our planet; this yr, I invite you to be considered one of them,” Mr. Guterres mentioned. “The necessity is pressing.”
UN Headquarters switches off
The UN Secretariat shall be at nighttime from 8:30pm New York time on Saturday, when all of the lights within the 40-storey on the East River shall be turned off for 60 minutes.
“Our local weather is collapsing,” Mr. Guterres mentioned, and Earth Hour “demonstrates the ability every of us has within the struggle for our future”.
“Collectively, let’s flip off the lights and switch the world in the direction of a brighter future for us all,” he mentioned.
World Meteorological Day
The UN can even have fun World Meteorological Day, marked yearly on 23 March, beneath the theme On the frontline of local weather motion.
Led by the World Meteorological Group (WMO), the date serves as a stark reminder that local weather change is an actual and simple risk to our total civilization.
WMO Secretary-Basic Celeste Saulo mentioned climate and local weather indicators are “off the charts”, however it’s not too late for humankind to dwell in concord with nature.
Adopting a web zero strategy with a transition to renewables “on the core stage of choice making and motion” is a should, she informed UN Information, calling for “each younger particular person on Earth to interact”.
The UN company additionally highlighted that climate and local weather forecasts assist in some ways, from rising meals manufacturing and getting nearer to zero starvation to managing climate-sensitive illnesses. As well as, early warning programs are key to serving to cut back poverty by giving individuals the prospect to organize for and restrict the affect of utmost climate situations.
New ‘Climate Children’ marketing campaign
Main as much as the Day, WMO, the UN Improvement Programme (UNDP) and the UN Kids’s Fund (UNICEF) launched the Climate Children marketing campaign, with broadcasters and on-line platforms all over the world airing a special sort of climate forecast.
Check out one younger Climate Child right here.
UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner mentioned the marketing campaign offers kids a brand new platform to voice local weather considerations.
“With out accelerated motion, kids born within the yr 2020 might expertise as much as seven occasions extra excessive climate occasions like scorching heatwaves throughout their lifetimes in comparison with their grandparents,” Mr. Steiner mentioned. “This new Climate Children marketing campaign is a part of our response to hear and act upon the rising considerations of younger individuals the world over for his or her rights and their futures.”
SDG 13: COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE
- Strengthen resilience and adaptation to climate-related hazards and pure disasters
- Combine local weather change measures into nationwide insurance policies, methods and planning
- Enhance training, awareness-raising and human and institutional capability on local weather change mitigation, adaption, affect discount and early warning
- Increase capability for efficient local weather change-related planning and administration in least developed international locations
The UN Framework Conference on Local weather Change (UNFCCC) is the first worldwide, intergovernmental discussion board for negotiating the worldwide response to local weather change.