20% more savings in Dubai’s Earth Hour

305 MWh of electricity and 183 tonnes of carbon emissions saved as against 255-MWh and 153-tonne reduction last year

Dubai — Dubai saved 305 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity and 183 tonnes of carbon emissions during Saturday’s Earth Hour, a 20 per cent increase from 2014’s 255-MWh and 153-tonne reduction.

Dozens of government buildings, tourist attractions and local landmarks, including Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa, turned off their lights and non-essential appliances to save power and promote a culture of sustainability.

Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (Dewa) Managing Director and CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said that Dubai has made significant strides in reducing carbon emissions since it became the first Arab city to participate in Earth Hour in 2008.

“Dewa achieved significant results in reducing electricity use over the past six years, saving 1,163 GWh of electricity and 5.4 billion imperial gallons of water. This is equivalent to Dh752 million, and over 536,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions,” he said.

“The amount of savings achieved during Earth Hour and conservation campaigns reflects the strong environmental awareness among Dubai residents. It also underlines the effectiveness of combined efforts to achieve our objectives to create a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment for the benefit of present and future generations,” Al Tayer added.

As part of the Earth Day celebrations, Dubai unveiled the largest infinity mirror in the world at a ceremony alongside local representatives of Guinnness World Records.

The mirror, which is seven square metres in size, is actually a set of mirrors that reflect an image back, creating a series of smaller reflections that recede infinitely into the distance.

“This infinity mirror communicates Dewa’s message that its efforts are infinite,” Dewa said in a statement.

Dubai was just one of 7,000 cities across 172 countries to participate in Earth Hour. Over 1,400 of the world’s most recognisable landmarks turned off their lights at 8.30pm local time, including the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Taipei 101, the National Cathedral in Washington DC and the Acropolis in Athens.

In the GCC, notable landmarks that went dark for Earth Hour included Saudi Arabia’s two tallest buildings, the Al-Faisalyah and Kingdom Towers; The Pearl in Qatar; the Bahrain World Trade Center; and the Royal Opera House and Grand Mosque in Muscat.

“Earth Hour confirms our belief that in order to change climate change, we need to act together,” said Sadhanshu Sarronwala, Chair of Earth Hour Global’s board of directors. “Earth Hour turns out the lights, but the future of our planet is brightened by the countless individual actions of supporters around the world.”

In a video statement recorded for Earth Hour, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that Earth Hour symbolised people’s ability to come together to reverse global climate trends.

“Climate change is a people problem. People cause climate change and people suffer from climate change. People can also solve climate change,” he said.

Ban also noted that the event should serve as a reminder that many people living in impoverished and underdeveloped areas of the world lack access to clean energy sources.

“By turning out the lights, we also highlight that more than a billion people lack access to electricity. Their future well-being requires access to clean, affordable energy,” he said.

bernd@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE