Canadians join millions worldwide for Earth Hour

Onlookers watch Taipei 101 building as it turns its lights off to observe international "Earth Hour" campaign in Taipei, Taiwan on Saturday, March 23, 2013. (AP / Wally Santana)

Canadians from coast to coast turned off their lights Saturday night, joining millions of others around the world to mark Earth Hour.

Electricity providers in Nova Scotia and Ontario were reporting drops in demand before the annual event began on the West Coast.

Earth Hour had a strong Canadian connection this year, after the city of Vancouver was honoured with the title of ‘capital’ of the 2013 event.

Vancouver was among more than 7,000 cities and towns in 152 countries worldwide expected to dim the lights between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. local time Saturday, in symbolic support of action on climate change.

The city’s efforts to combat global warming had the jury of experts unanimously crown Vancouver the winner among the six finalists.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said winning the title is validation of the community’s goal to become the greenest city in the world.

“Even as national governments fail to act, it’s essential that cities continue to lead the way in confronting climate change,” Robertson said in a statement. “Vancouver’s progress demonstrates that building a greener city also fosters a stronger local economy.”

The World Wildlife Fund, the driving force behind the global event, says 13 million Canadians participated in last year’s Earth Hour.

The grassroots movement, now in its sixth year in most countries, continues to see new interest year after year, however participation seems to have dwindled in Canada since the first Earth Hour events were held in 2008.

Last year, Toronto saw a 6.8 per cent drop in power use during Earth Hour, a far cry from the 15.1 per cent reduction in 2009.

Historically, Calgary has not seen a noticeable change in power use during Earth Hour and electricity consumption actually increased during the event in 2008.

British Columbia saw a slight dip in participation in 2012 with a province-wide 1.67 per cent drop in energy use, compared to 1.8 per cent in 2011.

The self-imposed black-out has also been on the receiving end of criticism, with some arguing that Earth Hour is little more than a token effort that doesn’t lead to any meaningful change.

The WWF acknowledges that Earth Hour is a symbolic event that won’t reverse climate change. However, the organization says Earth Hour helps create the “political space and demand for the large-scale change that will.”

On the eve of Earth Hour, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said everyone has a role to play in climate change.

“Governments need to provide the political will, businesses can contribute solutions, and civil society, especially young people, can mobilize global action,” he said in a statement.

The first Earth Hour was held in Sydney in 2007 with 2.2 million residents turning off all non-essential lights. The movement spread quickly with new countries pledging their participation each year.

Palestine, Tunisia, Galapagos, Suriname, French Guyana, St. Helena and Rwanda are among those joining the global movement for the first time in 2013.

Landmarks across the world are expected to go dark Saturday night, including: The Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace and Niagara Falls.

Live updates from Earth Hour events from around the world can be found here.