Dubai: For just nine Earth Hours that Dubai participated in since 2008, the city saved at least 1,596MWh of electricity and managed to prevent 958,000kg of carbon dioxide from escaping into the atmosphere.
To give you an idea, that quantum of energy savings is enough to power 400,000 homes for an entire year. The carbon emissions savings is equivalent to removing 202 passenger vehicles off the road for a full year.
Again, that’s just nine hours. Imagine if the city, the entire country, or the whole world took the call to switch off non-essential lights and appliances on a daily basis, the world can really stop climate change.
While the Earth Hour is a symbolic action and is not an energy or carbon reduction exercise, measuring savings is still important to see if simple actions could lead into significant results. And with the figures above, Dubai, and the rest of the emirates, have shown that they do matter.
Dubai is participating in Earth Hour for the 10th consecutive year. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) is spearheading the celebrations on Saturday along with Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS-WWF) and other partners. All the other emirates are also participating as they have in previous years.
Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dewa, said Dewa is organising Earth Hour in support of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to transform Dubai into an international hub for clean energy and green economy — as the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world by 2050.
The move supports the Dubai Plan 2021 and the Carbon Abatement Strategy to reduce carbon emissions by 16 per cent by 2021 to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.
“We are pleased to stand alongside over 7,000 cities from all over the world who are participating in this event, as the largest environmental event on the international calendar. We ask the people of Dubai to join forces and participate in Earth Hour 2017, and strengthen the position of the UAE through its efforts to adopt and launch initiatives to raise environmental awareness among the community,” Al Tayer said.
Across the country, key landmarks such as the Burj Khalifa, Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Burj Al Arab, Raffles Hotel, Etihad Towers, Al Qasba and many other government authorities buildings will fade into the shadows for one hour from 8.30pm to 9.30pm.
Laila Mostafa Abdul Latif, the deputy director general of EWS-WWF, said much has changed since the grassroots movement began in Sydney in 2007.
“In the ten years since Earth Hour launched, and especially over the last two years in light of the Paris Agreement, the world has seen massive momentum on climate change, both at a grass roots and up to government level,” Abdul Latif told Gulf News.
“Here in the UAE, the leadership has been at the forefront of this change, with the establishment of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the signing and adoption of the Paris Agreement, and with the development of a comprehensive national strategy to tackle climate and environmental change,” she said.
All these actions have cascaded into society, which is becoming more and more aware of the impacts of climate change and the importance of collective action. On a personal level, everyone in the UAE can also make a difference through their everyday lives and actions in what EWS-WWF calls ‘Green Goals’.
“For example, Green Goals could include: being mindful of water and energy consumption, both of which directly contribute to climate change. Simple changes like taking shorter showers, washing your car with a bucket instead of a hose….make positive difference,” Abdul Latif said.
“We only have one planet and each one of us has a role to play in protecting it.”
March 29, 2008
Dubai joined a worldwide campaign stretching from Sydney to San Francisco and became the first city in the Arab world to join Earth Hour. Thousands of lights were turned off across Dubai as part of the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) global initiative to highlight climate change.
Dubai’s Energy and carbon emission savings: 100,000kWh / 60,000kg of CO2
March 28, 2009
All the emirates joined Dubai in marking Earth Hour. Iconic landmarks across the UAE dimmed their lights for one hour.
Dubai’s Energy and carbon emission savings: 146,000kWh / 88,000kg of CO2
March 27, 2010
More than 5,500 participants carried lanterns to indicate their support for the switching off of lights and cutting out needless electricity consumption during Earth Hour in Dubai.
Dubai’s Energy and carbon emission savings: 170,000kWh / 102,000kg of CO2
March 26, 2011
Thousands of people gathered at the Burj Plaza in Dubai, with candle-lit lanterns, to celebrate Earth Hour with millions more people around the world.
Dubai’s Energy and carbon emission savings: 204,000kWh / 122,000kg of CO2
March 31, 2012
The UAE’s most iconic landmarks, including the Burj Khalifa and Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque, joined other landmarks in more than 150 countries that switched off their lights.
Dubai’s Energy and carbon emission savings: 216,000kWh / 130,000kg of CO2
March 23, 2013
People from all walks of life gathered at the Burj Plaza in Dubai with candles and lanterns for the Earth Hour Walk as a way of expressing their support in the fight against climate change.
Dubai’s Energy and carbon emission savings: 200,000kWh / 120,000kg of CO2
March 29, 2014
Earth Hour celebrations held at a new location at Bay Avenue Park overlooking Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Other iconic landmarks in the country joined in.
Dubai’s Energy and carbon emission savings: 255,000kWh / 153,000kg of CO2
March 28, 2015
Dewa hosted Earth Hour 2015 at Bay Avenue Park in Dubai, where a new world record was set for the largest LED-lit infinity mirror, measuring seven square metres.
Dubai’s Energy and carbon emission savings: 305MWh reduction in electricity use and 183 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
March 19, 2016
The Earth Hour was held in Bay Avenue Park in Dubai to include an Earth Day as well as cultural and heritage activities. Thousands of people across the UAE turned off lights at homes and offices in a symbolic show of support for the environment along with participants in 177 other countries.
Dubai’s Energy and carbon emission savings: Figures unavailable
Total energy savings: (9 Earth Hours) 1,596MWh
958,000kg of CO2
Compiled by Gulf News Archives
