Millions unite online for Earth Hour 2020

People from a record-breaking 190 countries and territories supported Earth Hour 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

• #EarthHour and related hashtags trended across 37 countries on Twitter and Google Search.
• Environmental activist Greta Thunberg, Pope Francis, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, among other influential leaders, as well as numerous celebrities, supported Earth Hour 2020 to draw attention to the nature and climate crises.

 Global leaders, celebrities, individuals and businesses from 190 countries and territories came together on Saturday, 28th March, to lend their support for the planet. A people-led movement, Earth Hour 2020 beautifully exemplified the resilience of the human spirit amid a crisis. At a time when people across the globe are battling a health crisis of an unforeseen scale, and many countries are under complete lockdown, supporters rose to the challenge of marking Earth Hour with online events. Earth Hour 2020 generated over 3 billion social media impressions globally and its related hashtags trended across 37 countries on Twitter and Google search, making it one of the most successful online events in its history.

Many renowned public figures, environmental activists and celebrities from across the globe supported Earth Hour 2020 to draw attention to the nature and climate crises. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Pope Francis, environmental activist, Greta Thunberg, Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau; Indian film star Amitabh Bachchan ; UN Environment Goodwill ambassador Dia Mirza, Kenyan singing sensation Nikita Kering, Colombian model Claudia Bahamon and British Singer Songwriter, Cat Stevens were among the many public personalities who participated in Earth Hour this year.

As a symbolic gesture of support to Earth Hour 2020, over 100 iconic buildings including the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Tokyo Skytree, Brandenburg Gate, the Colosseum in Rome, Taipei 101, Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower, Beijing National Stadium, the Ali Qapu Palace, the Hellenic Parliament in Greece, YTN Seoul Tower, Panama Canal, Moscow Kremlin, Tower Bridge in London and the Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, switched off their lights, to invite urgent action against nature loss and climate change. Additionally, millions of people around the world switched off the lights of their homes in solidarity with the movement.

Earth Hour 2020 mobilized people across continents to raise their voices on environmental issues affecting their nations.

• In Spain, people took to their balconies and windows, as a gesture of fellowship, using the lights from their mobile phones to share the message: "Switch off the light. Everything is going to be alright".
• In South Africa, a digital “Power to the People” campaign was launched for a renewed focus on clean and reliable sources of energy.
• Singapore went exclusively digital this year for Earth Hour with “Earth Hour 2020 - Live & Unplugged”, a live stream bringing together the country’s diverse voices for the environment to people across the globe.
• Earth Hour Qatar partnered with the Qatar Foundation and online platform AmpUp Videos that allowed videos with Earth Hour filters to be recorded and uploaded on various social media channels.
• Nepal saw youth from all over the country come together digitally to raise their #VoiceForThePlanet and share their thoughts, art, and photography on the need to protect and appreciate nature.
• Australia went unplugged and online via an #EarthHourLive live stream event with musical acts, comedians, and experts. In addition, the Gold Coast- Reef Check Australia and Yogaventures held ”Switch off to Switch Off: Lights off in a Candlelight Yoga Nidra relaxation session” to mark the Earth Hour.
• In Latin America, 14 countries came together for #EarthHourAtHome, a 4-hour live online broadcast across the region featuring popular artists, YouTubers, and celebrities.