Dubai Forums Dubai Discussions Dubai General Chat

http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090 ... 47054/1022

Lights at landmark buildings such as the Burj Al Arab, Madinat Jumeirah, Emirates Towers, and the Dubai International Financial Centre, will be turned off for one hour next Saturday to mark Earth Hour, a global event dedicated to fighting climate change.

Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Fujairah have also declared their support for the Emirates Wildlife Society-World Wide Fund for Nature initiative, which will start at 8.30pm.

Details of the capital’s participation will be announced soon, said Ida Tillisch, the business development and marketing director for the environmental NGO.

Meanwhile, speakers at a press conference held in Dubai yesterday to highlight the emirate’s participation encouraged members of the public to take part.

“We are asking everyone in Dubai to switch off all non-essential lights from 8.30pm to 9.30pm on March 28, to send a message around the world that we have the power to take action against global warming, and that by working together we really can make a huge difference,” said Khalid al Shafar, a marketing director at Dubai Holding.

Last year, 50 million people in 35 countries took part in Earth Hour. This year the goal is for a billion people to take part. So far, cities and towns in 80 countries have registered for the initiative, said Mrs Tillisch.

The UAE has one of the highest per capita emission levels of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas, which is released when fossil fuels are burnt to produce electricity and power vehicles.

Last year Dubai became the first Arab city to join the global campaign and its electricity use during the one-hour period fell by 100,000kWh, the equivalent of 20 per cent of the emirate’s lighting load for the same period.

This year, besides those at the big hotels, exterior lights will be switched off at the offices of Dubai Holding and its entities, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, the Roads and Transport Authority, the mobile phone operator du and other organisations. A vigil has been organised to take place at The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence from 8.30pm.

A global warming forecast submitted by the UAE to the UN in 2007 predicted the country would be 1.6°C to 2.9°C warmer by 2050 compared with temperatures in the second half of the 20th century.

This change is predicted to lead to a worsening of air quality, water shortages, smaller crop yields and disturbances to flagship species such as dugongs and sea turtles.

There are also concerns about the safety of beachfront residential and leisure developments and facilities such as ports and desalination plants because of rising sea levels.

It's also Dubai World Cup day, I wonder if they will turn off the lights at the racecourse.

I'm sure they could get most of the cars on SZR to turn their lights out in support of earth day.

But seriously, switching the lights off for an hour is all very well as far as media bites go, but surely the efforts of the UAE would be better spent trying to implement enviromentally friendly measures on a daily basis.