“The Earth Hour” initiative that started in Sydney in 2007 have spread all over the planet for the past two years. Over 1 bln. inhabitants of the Earth took part in the campaign in 2009 by switching off their electricity for an hour. UN’s Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has determined The Earth Hour to be “the greatest showing of public concern for climate changes ever”. Famous architectural symbols, such as the Brandenburg gate, the Eiffel Tower, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro, the Coliseum in Rome, the Parthenon in Athens and even Las Vegas and the 800-meter tall “Burj Dubai” will switch off their electricity for an hour on March 27.
Bulgaria has participated in The Earth Hour for a second year now. 42 Bulgarian cities and towns took part in the campaign in 2009. The interest is expected to be greater this year. The Wild World Fund /WWF/ - Bulgaria is the organizer of the campaign. Mrs Veselina Kavrakova, Program Manager of the organization thinks that the message of The Earth Hour is forwarded not only to the strong ones of the day, but also to common people:
“This is a call for everyone to think over his or her own behavior, since we can contribute to solving climate problems with our everyday choices of the goods that we buy. People from all over the world will send a clear message within The Earth Hour – they want quick and real actions against climate changes”.
Bulgarian Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Traycho Traykov and the UK ambassador to Sofia Steve Williams are among the officials of The Earth Hour 2010 initiative in Bulgaria. The ministry of Mr Traykov is the institution that will have to carry the transition towards “green energy” and “low-carbon” economy. The Deputy Minister Maya Hristova framed the goals of the government in that direction:
“The huge usage of renewable energy sources /RES/ and also the implementation of measures for energy effectiveness are among the priorities of the EU’s energy policy – she reminded. – The goal of Bulgaria there is to achieve a 16% share of energy from RES till 2020. On the other hand, the ambition of the government is an unit of GDP to be produced with the usage of twice less energy in 2020.”
The British Council is a leading partner in The Earth Hour campaign in Bulgaria. The possibilities for limiting the climate changes will be discussed in the Bulgarian town of Plovdiv on March 22nd and 23rd in organized by the BC improvised “scientific cafes” /”Café Scientifique”/. A video conference will be held on March 25th in the residences of the BC in Sofia and Bucharest, dealing with “low carbon economy” issues. The “Age of Stupid” movie of director Frany Armstrong will be shown in the BC on March 26th. Then on March 27th a torch and candle procession will start from the National Palace of Culture in Sofia. The final destination will be the garden in front of the National Theatre, where a concert with no electric instruments will take place.
British ambassador to Bulgaria Mr Steve Williams explained in Bulgarian the commitment of his state to climate changes:
“We had our great expectations from the Copenhagen meeting a year ago, but the results were more disappointing. And now we have to double our efforts, since the climate change is one of the top global challenges. Great Britain is about to decrease its carbon emissions with 34% till 2020 and 80% till 2050. This has been implemented in British legislation, as well as in the so-called “carbon budget” of every government.
English version: Zhivko Stanchev
