Three Indian cities among this year’s Earth Hour challenge finalists

The 2015 National Earth Hour Capital Awards will be presented in Seoul, South Korea, on April 9

 
By DTE Staff
Published: Tuesday 03 February 2015

Photo courtesy: WWF

Three Indian cities have been included among 44 finalists for this year’s WWF Earth Hour City Challenge, according to a recent press release by WWF. Pune, Rajkot and Thane will compete with 41 other cities representing 15 countries for the award which will be presented in Seoul, South Korea, on April 9.

According to the WWF website, the aim of the programme is to spur action and support in cities around the world to encourage transition to a renewable energy-based future.

The 44 cities have been chosen due to their actions in building “a sustainable and safe energy future,” according to the release. “Cities are leading the way toward a fair, climate-resilient future. While national governments have largely talked about solutions, real changes are being created every day from the solar streetlamps to the clean transit systems of the world’s cities,” the press release quoted Carina Borgström-Hansson, lead for WWF’s Earth Hour City Challenge, as saying.

“Cities are innovation hotspots that are creating solutions to put the world on track for a climate-safe future. To help them succeed, we urgently need supporting action from policymakers, businesses and financial institutions that are prepared to slam the door on fossil fuels and open it fully for a renewable future,” she added.

2015 will mark the third year that WWF has given the “Earth Hour Capital” award to a city that has demonstrated support for sustainability through its recent actions and commitments. The 2014 winner was Cape Town, South Africa. The WWF website invites people to vote for the cities that they think are doing well with regard to sustainability and renewable energy in the next 8 weeks.

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