March 29, 2024

Mayor Benjamin Magalong is enjoining the public, business sector, and government officials and employees to actively support the observance of Earth Hour on March 25 with the traditional one hour switch-off of electronic devices from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The city government will host a parade and bike ride to commence at the Post Office, Session Road down Abanao Street, and ending at the City Hall grounds for a culminating program. The march will be participated in by cultural groups, ethnic dance troupes from the academe and other sectors.
The mayor also encourages residents and business owners to participate in the Earth Hour by switching off lights, appliances or observing energy conservation measures for at least one hour in their homes or establishments in response to the worldwide call to address global warming.
“We all have to do our part to take care of nature,” the mayor said.
Earth Hour was launched in 2007 with the goal of making people understand the gravity of the environmental crisis as also experienced in the Philippines which has been suffering extreme weather conditions.
The “lights off” moment during the observance of Earth Hour is among the activities being undertaken in the Philippines being one of 178 countries in the world that signed the Paris Global Climate Deal of 2015 where signatories committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 70 percent by 2030.
Last year, the Worldwide Fund for Nature recognized the local government of Baguio and 12 other cities in the country for their commitments and efforts toward sustainability and low-carbon footprint development through the One Planet City Challenge 2022.
The One Planet Cities share a commitment to work toward the Paris Agreement goal – to keep global temperatures below a 1.5 Celsius rise with clear climate mitigation plans and adapting the most innovative solutions to individual city circumstances.
Innovations for cleaner, greener cities include long-term solutions to traffic which is considered by the WWF as the biggest contributor to outdoor air pollution. The WWF suggests reducing traffic emissions through shift from car dependency to active transportation as well as building bike paths and pedestrian safety improvements, creating dedicated public transport lanes including switch to battery-powered electric buses, among others. – Jessa Mardy P. Samidan