Journal · March 26, 2018

Earth Hour 2018 - lights off for climate protection

On 24 March 2018, over 7,000 cities in 181 countries around the world switched off the lights on landmarks and famous buildings to draw attention to the devastating consequences of man-made climate change. This year'sEarth Hourfocused on animal species that are already extinct or threatened with extinction due to climate change. Sonnenglas supported the campaign organised by theWorld Wide Fund For Nature (WWF)at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

The solar glass provides light when it gets dark at the Brandenburg Gate. (© Daniel Seiffert/WWF).

The first Earth Hour began in 2007 in Sydney with an event organised by WWF Australia, where the lights were symbolically switched off to draw attention to unnecessary electricity consumption. At the time, Australia was one of the countries with the highest CO2 emissions per person and was facing water shortages, droughts and resulting forest fires, which meant that climate change was also becoming increasingly present in election campaigns and the media.

Earth Hour has now become a global movement coordinated by the WWF, with more and more organisations, companies and countries joining in every year. Switching off the lights for one hour at a specific time on a specific day is a central component of the climate and environmental protection campaign. In particular, the lighting of public monuments and buildings as well as the advertising lighting of companies is switched off. This year's Earth Hour took place on 24 March between 8.30 and 9.30 pm. We now tell you the story of a crime scene.

"Crime Scene" at the Brandenburg Gate

It is 8.00 p.m. on 24 March at Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. We are at a crime scene. Barrier tape, outlines of victims on the ground, forensics. In the centre of the crime scene is an almost 2-metre-tall globe with an open structure and a wooden frame. Light accents on the continents bring the globe to life.

The WWF turned the Brandenburg Gate into a climate crime scene (© Daniel Seiffert/WWF).

This year's Earth Hour slogan "Everything is connected" (#Connect2Earth) is reflected throughout the installation: the interplay of the globe, the outlines and the triangles on the scaffolding - everything is connected. But who do the outlines belong to? Animals! More precisely, animal species that have become extinct or are threatened with extinction due to climate change.

More and more spectators stop with interest. The WWF hands out solar glass lanterns with "Earth Hour" written on a banderole. The well-known former Tatort detective Andreas Hoppe, together with Christoph Hinrichs, Director of Nature Conservation at WWF, gives a speech to emphasise how bad the situation really is regarding the extinction of animal species. "With Earth Hour, we are drawing attention to the fact that we must take urgent action to ensure that a large part of our biodiversity is not irretrievably lost in the near future," says Hoppe. WWF Executive Director Christoph Hinrichs explained that it was high time we adapted our economy and way of life to our planet and not the other way round. However, both speakers also gave hope: "We can protect biodiversity. We just have to act now, not tomorrow.

Actor Andreas Hoppe with Christoph Hinrichs from WWF.

Lights off - solar glass on

At 8.30 pm, the time has come: the lights go out. The Brandenburg Gate seems almost mystical. Only the globe in the centre of the production and numerous solar glass lanterns and candles at the edge of the "Crime Scene" illuminate the square. The central message of the production is clear: with our own behaviour, we contribute to worsening the effects of climate change on a daily basis. But we can do something by changing our behaviour step by step towards a greener life and calling on politicians to take action to counteract climate change.

The lights went out for an hour at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on 24 March 2018.

Shortly before 9.00 pm, WWF employees, actor Andreas Hoppe and many passers-by gather around the crime scene. Many people are holding solar glass lanterns. A choir of 40 members forms in their midst and, accompanied by piano and percussion, sings along to John Lennon's "Imagine". This is how Earth Hour ends in Berlin.

Autoren: Julia Hupe & Daniel Hufeisen