Not targeting policy makers

Earth Hour has 10 keys so that this movement can do more than just stop consumption activities that produce a carbon footprint for 1 hour.

Some of the recommended steps are choosing transportation with the lowest carbon footprint, consuming food that is far from the carbon chain, and reducing plastic consumption.

However, individual participation does not help if it is not carried out collectively and without the support of public policies that are aware of the carbon footprint. This is because the public is more preoccupied with economic productivity than setting aside part of their energy to correct their respective lifestyles. qqcitybet

Therefore, the mobilization movement alone is not enough because it does not target strategic objectives in climate communication. Education at the individual level cannot change policy if it is not applied to mobilization in the field.

Mobilization should target changes in the behavior of policy makers and implementers rather than just changing individual perspectives and lifestyles.

It should be remembered that the main demands of the Paris Agreement in reducing carbon emissions cannot be carried out simultaneously in one hour. Emission reductions must be sustainable by all actors (especially the highest carbon emitting groups).

Four stages of repair

Earth Hour as a massive campaign around environmental sustainability is an initiative that deserves appreciation. However, in order to have a bigger impact and reach a wider audience, this movement must be improved gradually.

Environmental communication expert from the University of North Carolina in the United States, J. Robert Cox initiated the steps of improvement to increase the effectiveness of environmental campaigns.

The first is problem identification. Problem identification has been carried out in Earth Hour, where the issue of carbon emissions is the most fatal cause of environmental damage.

The second stage is to invite a number of experts in the exact and social fields to propose policy solutions and technical implementations. The second step has not been targeted in Earth Hour because it is still targeting behavior change at the individual level.

While the third stage is an education campaign to the community to support the provision of solutions. This step is included in an effort to increase public participation in reducing carbon emissions, so that the policies made are welcome with the public's will.

This effort has been made in the Earth Hour agenda. In 2021, the Philippines will launch a 4-hour film called Earth Hour Phlix to raise awareness of people of all ages about the world they want to live in.

The last stage is to gather support by focusing on the formulation and implementation of policies that accommodate technical steps to reduce carbon emissions.

Mobilization must be accompanied by concrete steps that pressure policy makers to produce policies that are truly beneficial to the climate as well as society. I think this step should be the main target in Earth Hour.