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  • Pandemic: Thunberg asks young people: 'Stay home to avoid spreading the coronavirus'
  • Mobilizations. Young Spaniards against climate change

It all started in Australia in 2007. The proposal to turn off the light one day a year for an hour to symbolically remind ourselves of the importance of saving energy and caring for our already wounded planet, quickly spread to other countries. Quickly, this initiative of the conservation organization WWF became an essential event that is celebrated on the last Saturday of March with an extensive program of activities on the street to raise awareness about the fragility of the Earth.

And if 2019 was a historic year in the fight against climate change, with the publication of numerous scientific studies warning of the critical point where the Earth is and with the celebration of massive demonstrations around the world demanding that the rulers take Measures to combat climate change, 2020 is going to be a crucial year.

After the weak agreement reached at the Madrid Climate Summit last December, a new Summit will be held in Glasgow at the end of the year in which countries must increase their commitments to reduce polluting emissions to curb rising temperatures.

Today we will not be able to go out on the street because of the coronavirus, but Earth Hour is transferred to balconies and windows around the world with an appeal to citizens: to turn off the light and leave at 20:30 with our mobile phones and flashlights and Let's transmit a message in morse code (here we explain how to do it).

The pandemic that has sickened our planet has forced a third of the world's population to be homebound to prevent the spread of Covid-19, so the 180 countries that have joined this WWF initiative are celebrating Hour of Planet in a virtual way with a program that in Spain will have the participation of Amaral, who will sing a song, with the actress Clara Lago, the Eurovision singer Blas Cantó and Pocoyo, children's ambassador for the Earth Hour campaign. This year's motto, 'Turn off the light. Everything will be fine ' , collects the message popularized in Italy to encourage citizens in the fight against the coronavirus, Andrà tutto bene .

In Spain, where 280 municipalities and more than 200 companies and institutions have joined this year, the lights will go out from 8.30 to 9.30 pm, but in other parts of the world it is already being celebrated. Fiji was the first (at 7:30 AM PT) and will conclude in the Cook Islands 24 hours later.

Virtual celebration

"This year we want to remember more than ever that the health of humanity depends on that of the planet. If we want to breathe clean air, clean water or healthy food we have to stop climate change as soon as possible and protect nature. This year we are going to celebrate Earth Hour from our homes, in a global and virtual event in which millions of people from all cultures are going to be connected at the same time, "says Juan Carlos del Olmo, Secretary General of WWF Spain, in a video released for your organization.

Many of the most emblematic buildings in Spain will go out from 20:30 , such as the Burgos cathedral; the Royal Theater and the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid; the Tower of Hercules in La Coruña; the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Parliament of Catalonia. Others will not be able to be turned off this year due to movement restrictions due to the alarm state.

The virtual activities organized by WWF can be followed through Facebook and will begin 15 minutes before the light goes out, at 8.15 pm.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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