[Watch] Naveen Appeals All To Observe Earth Hour; Russia To Skip It, Know Why?

New Delhi: The world is observing Earth Hour today. Every year, millions of people across the globe take part in the worldwide event of ‘Earth Hour’ to raise awareness about climate change challenges and energy conservation by switching off all lights and electric appliances at their homes and offices for an hour.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) organises the event to mobilise the masses to Give an Hour for Earth, as part of efforts to create the ‘Biggest Hour for Earth’ and to show support and solidarity towards the cause.

Earth Hour is observed on the last Saturday of March. Today is that day. India will observe it for one hour from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm.

Joining the movement like every year, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik appealed to people to join the pledge to conserve electricity. Here’s what he tweeted:

Odisha’s sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik too, implored people to join the Earth Hour by making a beautiful sand art on the Puri beach.

WWF lauded Pattnaik for his beautiful sand art.

The Earth Hour event was first introduced as a symbolic lights-out event in 2007 by WWF Sydney and its partners. On the day, people in Australia were encouraged to participate in the event, to raise awareness about climate change. The first observance was organised on March 31, 2007, in Sydney at 7:30 pm, local time and a year later, Earth Hour was held internationally on March 29.

Meanwhile,  Russia has said it will not observe the momentous hour. The Kremlin on Friday said Russia will skip the annual global Earth Hour event this weekend after the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was labelled a “foreign agent” by Moscow. Russia has taken part in the event for 14 years.