Earth Hour 2022 - 26th March 2022

Earth Hour is an environmental symbolic protest that began over 15 years ago in Sydney, Australia by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Since 2007, millions of people around the world have joined this action by switching off the lights in their houses every last Saturday in March at 8:30 pm (local time). In 2022, Earth hour will be observed on Saturday 26^th March.

Earth Hour is a symbolic way to demonstrate support for the planet and hope for a brighter future by unifying humanity to raise awareness on the biggest threats that we are facing: climate change and biodiversity loss crisis.

Climate change represents a serious threat to countries of the Greater Caribbean region owing to their size, location, economic activities based on environmental conditions, also their population is commonly built along the coastlines, areas that will be highly affected by the effects of climate change.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), average temperatures in the region have increased by 0.1° to 0.2°C per decade. Rainfall patterns have shifted and the sea levels continue to rise which in turn, present risks to the region’s freshwater resources that support the populations and their economic activities. Other effects that will affect the Greater Caribbean include droughts, fires, flooding and extreme weather conditions that worsen every decade despite the low contributions of the Caribbean to the Global Greenhouse Gas (GHG).

Furthermore, nature and biodiversity loss are other serious threats to the region. The Greater Caribbean is one of the most biodiverse and threatened areas in the world due to climate change and human activities. Around half of the region’s coral reefs have disappeared and countries are losing their forest and rainforests at alarming rates. Consequently, the health of ecosystems and human population have become susceptible to pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Greater Caribbean requires a unification of efforts to start discussions and propose solutions to address the climate and biodiversity loss crisis. More than ever, the region has to pay special attention to climate resilience. In this regard, there is a need to promote nature-based solutions including conservation and restoration of ecosystems, based on mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

The ACS, as an organization for “consultation, cooperation and concerted action” seeks to achieve enhanced cooperation and initiative on this matter through its Plan of Action 2022 – 2028. The preservation and conservation of the Caribbean Sea is a mandate of primordial importance for the ACS. Join Earth Hour and take action now by switching off your lights on Saturday 26^th March at 8:30pm. Happy Earth Hour Day!