Individuals and businesses across Mexico will turn off all non-essential lights for one hour on Saturday, March 19, between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. as part of Earth Hour, a global event designed to raise awareness of the environmental hazards facing the planet.
Jalisco’s Ministry of the Environment and Territorial Development (Semadet) invited citizens to join the movement, which originated in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and has grown to encompass more than 7,000 cities and 150 countries across the planet.
Although many nations have reported falls in electricity demand during the one-hour event, some critics say the symbolic action has minimal effect on energy or carbon reduction levels for the hour itself. However, Earth Hour proponents say the initiative is only designed to encourage people to take “accountability for their ecological footprint and engage in dialogue and resource exchange that provides real solutions to environmental challenges.”
See more information at earthour.org.
To calculate the emissions saved during the hour (in Spanish) visit http://siga.jalisco.gob.mx/calculadoraCO2.