Residents and businesses are invited to join the City of Minneapolis in switching off their lights between 8:30-9:30 pm on March 30 in honor of Earth Hour.
Beginning as a single-city initiative in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, Earth Hour has grown into a global movement to burn less fossil fuel. Organizers state that when fossil fuels are burned such as coal and gas, more and more carbon dioxide is pumped into the atmosphere.
This buildup creates a blanket effect, trapping in heat around the world. If nothing is done to halt this process, the planet will become hotter with more violent weather, fewer species and disrupted systems such as food chains.
In 2015, 38 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Minneapolis came from electricity. The City has set targets of reducing citywide greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2025 (using 2006 as a baseline) and 80 percent by 2050. Emissions from citywide activities decreased 17.8 percent in 2015 from the 2006 baseline, exceeding the first reduction goal of 15 percent by 2015.
The Minneapolis Climate Action Plan, adopted in June 2013, provides a roadmap for reducing citywide carbon dioxide pollution. To learn more about Minneapolis’ sustainable policies and practices, visit minneapolismn.gov/sustainability.
For more info about actions to benefit the planet beyond the hour, go to bit.ly/2JwyD0n.
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