There are occasions where we come together to celebrate with our loved ones like birthdays, anniversaries and on some occasions with the whole country like Republic Day and Independence Day. But there are very few occasions where the whole world comes together. Earth Hour is exactly that. Earth Hout is an annual environmental campaign organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Earth Hour 2021 Date and Time:

The event is held annually to encourage people to turn off non-essential electric lights from an hour at 8.30 pm, usually on the last Saturday of March. Earth Hour 2021 FAQs: Why Is Earth Hour Important? How to Celebrate? All Frequently Asked Questions Answered.

Earth Hour History:

Earth Hour, organized by WWF, was first observed in Sydney, Australia in 2007. WWF presented their idea with Fairfax Media, who along with the Lord Mayor of Sydney city, Clover Moore, agreed to back the event. The first Earth Hour was observed on March 31 at 7.30 pm.

Inspired by the Sydney Earth Hour, San Francisco also ran its own "Lights Out" program in October 2007. Today the event has become a global event.

Earth Hour 2021 Significance:

The Earth Hour is a symbolic action towards increasing people's awareness of the planet's needs, climate change, etc. The special day aims to spark a global conversation on protecting our planet and nature.

"Earth Hour is an initiative to encourage individuals, businesses and governments around the world to take accountability for their ecological footprint and engage in dialogue and resource exchange that provides real solutions to our environmental challenges," the official website said.

In 2020, Earth Hour was celebrated digitally due to the covid-19 pandemic. 190 counties and territories participated in the movement. The event was also supported by public personalities such as Pope Francis, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, environmental activist Greta Thunberg and Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Dia Mirza.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 25, 2021 07:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).