Lights out for the planet: University of Mannheim celebrates Earth Hour!

Lights out for the planet: University of Mannheim celebrates Earth Hour!

On March 17, 2025, the world will once again face an important date in the field of environmental protection: the Earth Hour. This global climate and environmental protection campaign was launched by WWF and takes place every year on the last Saturday in March. As part of this initiative, cities, municipalities and private individuals will turn off the lighting of many buildings and landmarks for one hour. The aim is to draw attention to the consequences of climate change and to promote more climate protection.

The University of Mannheim is taking part in this globally important campaign and will turn off the lights in the castle at 8:30 p.m. In addition, the Ehrenhof Castle library area will be closed at 8 p.m. in order to prepare the editorial team and students for Earth Hour.

The goal and urgency of Earth Hour

Earth Hour aims to promote a world with a stable climate, thriving nature and prosperity for all people. The urgency to act now is great because according to the Paris Agreement Global warming must be kept below 1.5 °C by 2030. Current human activities are making nature loss visible faster than ever before, which could pose serious risks to both animals and people.

The COVID-19 pandemic is interpreted as a warning signal and illustrates how intensively the loss of nature can destabilize social structures. Failure to take immediate action could result in losses of basic needs such as food, clean water and a livable environment.

The context of the Paris climate agreement

The Paris Agreement, which was decided on December 12, 2015, represents a decisive milestone in global climate protection. It unites 195 countries under the common goal of curbing climate change and transforming the global economy in a climate-friendly manner. The main objectives are to limit the increase in global average temperature as well as reduce emissions and adapt to the inevitable consequences of climate change.

What is important for the future generation is not only limiting temperature rise, but also improving the adaptability of particularly affected countries. These measures require billions of dollars in global financial flows to be redirected into sustainable investments, and support for developing countries is also necessary. The Paris Agreement requires all states to develop national climate contributions and regularly report on progress.

Earth Hour and the Paris Agreement highlight the need to come together as a global community to address the challenges of climate change. Individual actions are also important in order to promote the necessary change in dealing with our environment.

Fabio Kratzmaier from the University of Mannheim is available for further information. He can be reached on +49 621 181-3298 or by email at fabio.kratzmaier@uni-mannheim.de.