Earth Hour

As Congress Debates Clean Energy/Climate Legislation and World Governments Negotiate Global Climate Agreement, American People Issue Clear Mandate for Action

WASHINGTON, DC, May 20, 2009 – An estimated 80 million Americans reported turning off their lights for Earth Hour 2009 in an unprecedented global vote for action on climate change, World Wildlife Fund officials announced today. Globally, nearly one billion people are estimated to have participated in the March 28 event, in which more than 4,100 cities and iconic landmarks around the world went dark for one hour.

According to polling conducted by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates on behalf of WWF, nearly 30% of US adults surveyed reported taking part in Earth Hour, with 85% of those surveyed agreeing that climate change is an important global issue that affects all of us and must be addressed before it becomes an even bigger problem.

“The American people have sent a clear mandate to our nation’s decision-makers: they want action on climate change,” said WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts. “From coast-to-coast, more than 300 cities went dark as citizens, businesses, communities, and state governments, turned out the lights to take a stand on this defining issue of our time. As members of Congress debate a new clean energy jobs package that would dramatically reduce global warming pollution, they should take note of the clear call for action from their constituents.”

Of those surveyed, 80 percent said they support the negotiation of an international agreement to address climate change. WWF officials said the finding is particularly relevant because negotiations are currently underway on a global climate accord that is expected to be finalized in December in Copenhagen.

“With world governments in the throes of negotiations on a new global climate agreement, the results of the post-Earth Hour survey are particularly noteworthy,” said Dr. Richard H. Moss, WWF vice president for climate change. “By an overwhelming majority, the American people want the U.S. to reengage in the effort to secure a climate deal. Simply put, they want an agreement in Copenhagen.”

On Saturday, March 28^th at 8:30 p.m., people in more than 4,100 cities in 87 countries, on all seven continents turned off their lights in the first global vote for action on climate change. In the US, more than 300 cities turned off non-essential lighting including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C. Additionally, seven states officially took part: Arkansas, California, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and New York.

Thousands of buildings and landmarks across the US participated including the Las Vegas Strip, the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings in New York City, the Space Needle in Seattle, Church of Latter-Day Saints Temple in Salt Lake City, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the National Cathedral in Washington DC. International landmarks going dark included the Great Pyramids of Giza, Parthenon in Athens, St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London, Paris’ Elysee Palace and Eiffel Tower, Beijing’s Birds Nest and Water Cube, Symphony of Lights in Hong Kong, Sydney’s Opera House and Christ de Redeemer status in Rio de Janeiro.

Among other notable findings of the polling, the number of people who said they were very interested in taking additional action against climate change rose 6 percentage points after Earth Hour, while nearly 8 in 10 people said they planned to participate in Earth Hour 2010

Survey Methodology

WWF commissioned a survey which was conducted by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates. PSB conducted a quantitative benchmark and tracking study to determine pre-post evaluation of WWF’s 2009 Earth Hour. Two waves of 2009 Earth Hour research were conducted via web-based surveys of the general public including oversamples in 10 key media markets across the United States.

B Roll:

More information about Earth Hour can be found at www.EarthHourUS.org. Video footage and photographs from Earth Hour 2009 can be found at http://www.earthhourus.org/mediacenter.php.

About World Wildlife Fund and Earth Hour

Earth Hour (www.EarthHourUS.org) is a global initiative of WWF in which millions of people around the world cast a vote in favor of action on climate change by turning off their lights for one hour on March 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm. By voting with their light switches, Earth Hour participants sent a powerful, visual message to their leaders demanding immediate action on climate change. WWF is the world’s leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, stop the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.