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Sultanate joins world to mark Earth Hour

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MUSCAT, MARCH 30 - The Sultanate marked the World Earth Hour on Saturday as the Environment Society of Oman (ESO) urged all citizens and residents to join millions of people across the world by switching off the lights for one hour from 8.30 pm. Several public and private sector organisations, including commercial centres and hotels, joined the Earth Hour observance. ESO in its campaign has been urging people to do away with plastic in their daily lives. “A simple swap from plastic bottles to reusable stainless steel or glass bottles can have a big impact. As 16 per cent of plastic in the world’s oceans is made up of plastic bottles and bottle caps, it is time to say no to single-use plastics and protect our seas,” it said.


“It’s a small gesture but we hope it will encourage us all to think and care more deeply about this wonderful planet of ours and how precious it is to us all. Oman has a unique natural diversity, from our mountains and valleys to our beautiful coastline, and we really need to do whatever we can to preserve and nurture it. One of the greatest threats to marine diversity is the alarming volume of plastic that clogs and stifles life in it. So let’s make that symbolic one-hour switch-off on March 30 the start of a process in which we become a whole lot kinder to our oceans,” ESO said. Starting as a symbolic lights out event in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour is now the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment, inspiring millions of people to take action for our planet and nature.


Globally, from changing individual behaviour to legislation, Earth Hour has achieved massive environmental impact — but as accelerating climate change and staggering biodiversity loss threaten our planet, we need to spark never-before-had conversations on the loss of nature and the urgent need to protect it. Every year millions of people, businesses and landmarks set aside an hour to host events, switch off their lights and make noise for the Earth Hour movement.


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