At a recent seminar on building a greener future, one speaker remarked that the term “global warming” was rather misleading. It does connote something warm and fuzzy, she explained and offered “climate change crisis” as a more appropriate alternative.

It doesn’t take much digging into memory to realize the devastation that extreme weather patterns have brought upon us.

Typhoon Ondoy in September last year made us realize how unprepared we were for the impacts of climate change and how little has been done to build resilient communities.

We see it in the news — catastrophic flooding, extreme droughts, migratory shifts among animals, and the hottest years this world has experienced — all these have a profound impact not just on the economic and social well-being of communities, but on the very existence of life in this planet.

Despite the climate change crisis that our world faces today, not all hope is lost. The task of addressing the environmental realities of planet Earth falls squarely on the shoulders of its citizens. As the world moves toward greater progress and development, there is a need to closely examine how much of our natural resources and energy sources have been depleted and exhausted.

This is what Earth Hour is all about — it is a symbolic act to inspire humanity to initiate actions that would address the impacts of climate change, and it all begins with the simple act of switching off lights on March 27, 2010 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. This is the hour that the world unites in its call for actions that promote responsible consumption of energy and advocate for changes in attitudes, behaviors, and lifestyles to help mitigate or adapt to the impact of climate change.

BEYOND ONE HOUR

The message of Earth Hour should not stop with the switching on of lights at 9:30 p.m. Its message should resonate beyond one hour.

The 60 minutes that comprise Earth Hour should be considered as a start — a new beginning that entails switching to energy efficient lighting such as compact fluorescent lamps or to cleaner sources of energy such as renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, ocean, and biomass), all with the goal of minimizing the human carbon footprint and addressing the climate change crisis.

The world once again unites in its call to action to ensure a better world for its present and future residents on March 27, 2010.

The Philippines has much reason to be proud of taking part in this event. Last year, the country ranked #1 in terms of scope of public participation, with over 10 million Filipinos in 647 cities and towns participating. This has resulted to at least 611 MWh in energy savings in just one hour.

GREEN ARMY

This year, the organizers of Earth Hour in the Philippines — the Department of Energy, WWF Philippines, Green Army Network Foundation Philippines, and the Switch Movement — aim to get over 15 million Filipinos in 1,000 cities and towns to participate in Earth Hour 2010.

To date, sectoral consultations have yielded strong commitments for more sustained efforts on climate change. Among the groups that have pledged commitments are the Archdiocese of Manila, University of the Philippines, Technological University of the Philippines, Manila Doctors College, REACT, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Ortigas Foundation, Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Manila Jaycees, Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines, Philippine Science Centrum, World Youth Alliance, Habitat for Humanity Philippines, Gawad Kalinga, CREBA, Mindanao Power Alliance, among others.

Earth Hour kick-off activities have launched in Davao, Cebu, and Iloilo. In Davao City, stakeholders from various sectors led by the Green Alliance for Davao, Mindanao Business Council, Save Davao Gulf Foundation and the Davao City National High School pledged collective support.

In Cebu, over 1,000 stakeholders from 65 organizations gathered at the SM City Cebu to share their collective support for Earth Hour. Meanwhile, the province of Iloilo, led by Governor Niel D. Tupas, pledged to support Earth Hour.

Achieving the needs of today without compromising the needs of the future can only be done through collective action. This is the message of Earth Hour — it harnesses the collective power of governments, non-government organizations and civil society, the academe, religious groups, media, and the youth — in taking action on the climate change crisis. The youth, in particular, have the greatest stake in this cause. Today’s youth have heightened levels of awareness on the plight of the environment and as future leaders of this world, it is high time to translate this awareness into advocacy and action.

Earth Hour is a message of hope and action. Just imagine what we could achieve for our world when we all act together.

For more information on Earth Hour, please visit http://www.earthhour.org. To affirm your commitment to Earth Hour, you may register online at http://greenarmynetwork.net/earthhour2010 or via mobile by sending GREEN REG First Name/Middle Initial/Last Name/EARTHHOUR to 5777. The Earth Hour Philippines 2010 Secretariat may also be reached at (632) 840 2134 or 789 7662 loc. 5200 or ehp2010secreatariat@gmail.com.