Lights go out across Dubai for Earth Hour for 9th year

BEFORE AND AFTER ... The Burj Khalifa and other iconic structures in Dubai stood unlit in the evening's shadow for one hour during the Earth Hour. - Photos by Rahul Gajjar

Dubai may not have been bright with its typical array of glittering lights on Saturday evening, but it wasn't due to a power failure or a black out - it was down to the better conscious of the city's residents.
From 8.30pm to 9.30pm, Dubai's most iconic landmarks, including the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, and the Burj Al Arab Hotel, turned their light switches from 'on' to 'off' to take action against climate change, with all essential lighting dimmed for the hour-long stand.
Celebrating this iconic movement for its ninth year, the UAE joined Earth Hour in 2008, one year after its official launch in Australia in 2007.
Ida Tillisch, Director-General at the Emirates Wildlife Society - World Wildlife Fund, - organiser of Earth Hour - said the UAE has a "great opportunity" to "lead by example through domestic and international action on climate change" and ultimately safeguard the future of this precious country.
As the lights switched off at 8.30pm, thousands of residents switched it up a notch and got their walking shoes on during the Earth Hour Walk held at Bay Avenue Park by Dewa along with Dubai Supreme Council of Energy.
One resident was 9-year-old Aaratrika Singh. She makes a habit of playing with her younger brother when she gets home from school, but she has another habit - and it's a mindful one at that.
"When we do play I make sure we stay in only one room so only one light in the house has to be on at any one time."
Singh was one of the many hundreds of children who turned out to Dubai Electricity and Water Authority's (Dewa) Earth Hour Walk in Business Bay on Saturday to mark the annual global movement towards climate change.
Residents and companies alike switched off on Saturday to make a stand against climate change, and the results were impressive.
The awareness movement - celebrated by 178 countries around the world - saw Dubai witness a 222MWh reduction in the consumption of electricity, and a reduction of 96 tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions.
This year's figures were down from 2015's figure, which saw a saving of 305MWh of electricity and 183 tonnes of carbon emissions.
The young volunteers
At 8.30pm, as the Burj Khalifa stood unlit in the evening's shadow for one hour, Superman may have been nowhere to be seen, but 12-year-old Delhi Private School student Pranav Pratap Singh told Khaleej Times what he has been doing to save the world.
"I live in Discovery Gardens and about every two weeks me and my friends knock on our neighbours' doors to collect items to recycle."
From soda cans and water bottles, to old newspapers and magazines, Singh selflessly gives up a few hours of his weekend to collect the goods before dropping them off to the Emirates Environment Group (EEG). "I do it because it is important. For people who make excuses not to recycle, we are here to do it for them. In my house we make sure the a/c is switched off if the weather is nice and I always turn the light off when I leave a room."
For Emirati 'UAE Graffiti Artist' Fatma Al Hammadi, events like Earth Hour are not only beneficial to the planet, but beneficial to the individuals too.
"It is about how we can take control of the world's electricity spend. Conserving the environment trans-lates to conserving your money, so it's a win-win situation. Switch off not just today, but everyday."
Sultan Alzaabi, project manager for conservation outreach and en-gagement at Dewa, said:
"Thank God there are so many children here today. This is for their future and they are proactively taking part in the global Earth Hour movement.
"My message to the people of Dubai is this: If you can switch off for one hour today, then switch off for one hour everyday. Let's make it a behaviour and let's change bad habits."
- kelly@khaleejtimes.com