Wang Jingli

wangjingli0715@163.com

SHENZHEN once again took part in Earth Hour, the world’s largest environmental event, as an array of activities was held March 30 in Futian District to encourage people not only to switch off the lights between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., but also to join millions in protecting biodiversity in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Earth Hour, which is held annually, was initiated by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in 2007. With this year’s theme, “Connect to Earth,” WWF also joined hands with One Planet Foundation (OPF) to invite experts to conduct research on and launch an ecological map of the Greater Bay Area, in order to call attention from all walks of life to the promotion of ecological progress in the area.

The map was officially unveiled by the WWF celebrity ambassador for Chinese white dolphin protection, Song Jia, at the 2019 Earth Hour event at SCPG Center in Futian.

“I am very honored to be the WWF celebrity ambassador for Chinese white dolphin protection and I hope to get more people involved in understanding the situation of Chinese white dolphins so as to understand our own,” Song told the Shenzhen Daily, adding that “we can start protecting animals and the environment by just doing tiny little things in our daily life, such as using water bottles and replacing plastic bags with recycled bags when we go shopping.”

In addition to this event, a carnival sharing the theme, “Connect to Earth,” was organized March 30 and 31 at the art square in Xiangmi Park, which was open to the public for free.

This is the first time that institutions and enterprises have held a carnival centering on the topic of biodiversity in the Greater Bay Area, according to staff at WWF and OPF. The two-day carnival attracted many children accompanied by their parents.