Millions of participants will speak up for nature on their social media platforms during a global online event to celebrate Earth Hour 2021

• Earth Hour 2021 will be celebrated virtually on Saturday, 27 March at 8.30pm local time.
• It takes place ahead of key international meetings where world leaders will come together to talk about climate action, sustainable development and how to stem nature loss.
• To ensure that these deliberations are in the best interests of people and nature, this year’s Earth Hour campaign will shine a spotlight on climate change and nature loss.
• Millions around the world are being asked to use their social media platforms during Earth Hour to spread the word.

Earth Hour, the largest global grassroots movement for the environment, will bring together millions of people, businesses and leaders from around the world who will shine a spotlight on the urgent need to address nature loss and climate change.

“The Earth Hour movement has been celebrated in South Africa and the world over for more than a decade. This year, we have an incredible opportunity to join hands as citizens of the world during a global virtual event. We are calling on our supporters to shine a spotlight on some of the most pressing environmental issues of the day by signing up as a ‘nature hero’ for the hour,” says Dr Morné du Plessis, CEO of WWF South Africa.

Uniting online and speaking up for nature  

On the night of Earth Hour, WWF South Africa will share a special Earth Hour 2021 campaign video narrated by the multi-award-winning actor, director and playwright Dr John Kani and encourage participants to share this on their social media platforms. This video shows the links between pandemics, climate change and pollution, and the role of nature in addressing these challenges.

To receive the video, sign up here www.wwf.org.za/earth_hour/.

2021 is a critical year for nature

The theme for Earth Hour 2021 focuses on ‘Climate Change to Save Earth’. This year, key political decisions will be taken by world leaders on nature, climate change and sustainable development which will set the course of our future. These decisions will affect the health of our planet and our own future for decades to come.

Several catastrophic incidents last year, including extreme weather events, devastating wildfires and the Covid-19 outbreak, proved that preventing nature loss is imperative for safeguarding our future.

“Healthy natural ecosystems are the cornerstone of thriving, equitable and sustainable societies,” says Marco Lambertini, Director General at WWF International.  “2021 is a crucial year for humanity. As the world tries to turn the tide and recover from the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic and rebuild itself, we need to put nature at the centre of our recovery efforts to future proof our economies and societies. Earth Hour is a critical moment for individuals, leaders, and environmentalists to unite and call for urgent action to reverse nature loss and secure a nature-positive world by 2030.”

For more information on how to be a ‘Nature Hero for Earth Hour’ this year, visit www.wwf.org.za/earth_hour/

Hashtags:  #EarthHour#Connect2Earth

Notes to Editors:

About Earth Hour
Earth Hour is WWF's flagship global environmental movement. Started in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour has grown to become one of the world's largest grassroots movements for the environment, inspiring individuals, communities, businesses and organisations in more than 180 countries and territories to take tangible environmental action for over a decade. 
Historically, Earth Hour has focused on the climate crisis, but more recently, it has also brought the pressing issue of nature loss to the fore. The movement recognises the role of individuals in creating solutions to the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges and harnesses the collective power of its millions of supporters to drive change.

About WWF
WWF is an independent conservation organisation, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.