In the Coquimbo Region, the initiative was organized by the Confederation of Higher Education Environmental Sciences Students (CECADES) of the University of La Serena and had the participation of the SEREMI of the Environment and SEREMI of Energy.

With a call to reflect on climate change, “Earth Hour” was held in the Plaza de Armas of La Serena, a global awareness campaign that is commemorated on the last Saturday of March and that calls for turning off non-essential lights and expendable electrical appliances for 60 minutes. 

In the Coquimbo Region, the initiative was organized by the Confederation of Higher Education Environmental Sciences Students (CECADES) of the University of La Serena and had the participation of the SEREMI of the Environment and SEREMI of Energy.

In the instance, as a symbolic act and support for this citizen action, the municipality lowered the lights of the Plaza de Armas and the Regional Government reduced the energy consumption of the front of the Municipality.

The Environment Secretary, Verónica Pinto, stated that “Earth Hour is a call to become aware that the individual actions of people do have effects on global warming. The Ministry of the Environment is working on a document on Chile's contribution to this phenomenon, which will be presented in December, when the governments of more than 195 countries meet in Paris to reach a new Climate Agreement that places urgency in adopting measures. that allow reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring the sustainability of ecosystems.” 

For his part, the Minister of Energy, Marcelo Salazar, stated that “this activity of letting consumption for 60 minutes is a signal for society to realize how important it is to take care of energy and that there are actions that are very concrete to save energy without changing the quality of life. By making energy efficiency in homes we will go on the path of energy sustainability in the country.”

For Constanza Vargas, coordinator of CECADES at the ULS, “the idea of ​​Earth Hour is to make people aware that the planet and its climate are changing and we have to start reducing the carbon footprint in our daily actions, thinking about what that we are going to leave to the generations to come.” 

Earth Hour is promoted in more than 160 countries by the conservation organization World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF). The citizen demonstration was born in Australia and Chile joined the crusade in 2009.

Source: SEREMI Environment Press