Benidorm will turn off some of its most iconic venues on Saturday, March 22, to support Earth Hour

Benidorm City Council has joined the "Earth Hour"  promoted globally by WWF, which aims to turn off the lights in iconic locations around the world for 60 minutes as a symbol of the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. Launched 19 years ago in Sydney, "Earth Hour" will be celebrated next Saturday, March 22, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. The Councilor for the Environment, Mónica Gómez, reported that "during those 60 minutes, Benidorm City Council will turn off the lights in some of the most iconic and emblematic locations in our city, such as El Tossal, El Castell, the façade of the City Hall, the Cruz de la Serra Gelada monument, the ornamental lighting on the wall of Paseo de Poniente, and the light garland on Paseo de Levante," in the section between Avenida de Europa and Rincón de Loix, thus contributing to "drawing the attention of residents and tourists to the environmental degradation our planet is suffering and thus giving it an hour of respite."

Gómez emphasized that "Benidorm is a benchmark city in sustainability, both in its conception and its management, constantly promoting and implementing measures that favor the fight against climate change." She emphasized, "we were pioneers in developing a Climate Change Action Plan," a document that has become a guide and roadmap for designing municipal actions and policies."

On energy matters alone, and as an example, the councilor recalled, "years ago we began renovating the city's lighting and public lighting to implement LED technology in most of Benidorm's lighting points to reduce consumption and CO2 emissions and improve lighting conditions." This is also accompanied by other projects, such as the "installation of solar panels in municipal buildings, public schools, social centers, and sports facilities, to generate their electricity, which have also significantly reduced emissions and energy consumption."

To date, according to WWF data, 295 municipalities in Spain—32 of them in the Valencian Community—along with 28 organizations and 97 companies, including a hotel chain in the city, have joined the "Earth Hour" campaign.

The Environment Councilor indicated that, in addition to institutions and businesses, citizens can also participate individually in this "Earth Hour" campaign on Saturday. Finally, the Councilor echoed the words of WWF, which, in its "Earth Hour" call, emphasized that "last year 2024 was the warmest since the industrial revolution, exceeding the average temperature of the planet by 1.5°C, a limit that we must not exceed to avoid irreversible impacts."

The text also draws attention to the effects of global warming, stating that "extreme weather events are becoming social emergencies in the form of floods, heat waves, and forest fires" and that "there is ample evidence of the climate crisis." Therefore, "Earth Hour provides an opportunity for institutions, individuals, and businesses to demonstrate that society is moving in favor of climate change."