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The muddy month of March - water day and earth hour

What's happened, what's current; or what's coming ... and the environment has its day or two

MARTINA NICOLLS

Mar 31

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A week ago, on 22 March, it was the annual World Water Day, and 24 March was the annual Earth Hour. They both mark the March month of awareness of natural resources and environmental management.

The United Nations first celebrated World Water Day in 1993 after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. The theme for 2024 was “Water for Peace.” The United Nations also releases an annual water and sanitation report on World Water Day with the 2024 edition exploring the theme of “water for prosperity and peace.”

Water is often a source of conflict – people withholding it, forming boundaries to exclude it from others, and wasting it. However, the United Nations notes that there are numerous examples where transboundary waters are a source of cooperation rather than conflict. Nearly 450 agreements on international waters were signed between 1820 and 2007 and over 90 international water agreements were formulated to help manage shared water basins on the African continent.

Currently, more than 3 billion people worldwide depend upon water that crosses national borders. But only 24 countries have cooperation agreements to share water.

The “Water for Peace” messages are: 1) water can created peace or conflict, 2) prosperity and peace rely on water, and 3) water can lead communities out of crises.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) established the annual Earth Hour as a global event since the 31 March 2007 event in Sydney, Australia. It occurs during the last weekend of March, taking place this year on 24 March 2024. The call-to-action is “Give an Hour for Earth.”

Earth Hour advocates for people and organizations to switch off non-essential lights for an hour from 20:30 to 21:30 on the designated day. The hour of darkness signals care and support for planet Earth. Iconic structures around the world take part too – such as the Eiffel Tower, the London Eye, Tokyo Tower, India Gate, Empire State Building, and the Sydney Opera House. Typically, about 18,000 monuments and structures turn their lights off for an hour. In 2024, more than 5,000 cities in 185 countries participated in Earth Hour.

Next year, Earth Hour takes place on Saturday 22 March 2025 – an hour to give for planet Earth.