Dubai joins in with Earth Hour initiative

Dubai has demonstrated its commitment to protecting the environment by taking part in this year's Earth Hour.The initiative is aimed at encouraging people all over the world to switch off their lights and unnecessary appliances for just one hour in order to significantly reduce carbon emissions.It first started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and the event has expanded every year since, with 7,000 cities taking part across the globe in 2013.Dubai switched off its lights between 20:30 and 21:30 local time on Saturday (March 23rd) and it helped to reduce carbon emissions by a staggering 120 tonnes.Earth Hour has quickly become the most important international environmental event and HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, vice chairman of the Supreme Council and managing director and chief executive officer of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) thinks it is a great idea and goes far beyond switching the lights off for 60 minutes."It is an international call to strengthen collaboration that promotes a culture of conservation, making it a part of daily life. This supports our efforts to promote sustainable development in Dubai, and all over the world," he remarked.DEWA holds a number of initiatives throughout the year to encourage people to reduce their carbon footprints.Dubai certainly takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and the government is introducing new laws in 2014 that will force building developers to work more sustainably.The construction sector accounts for a large slice of the world's carbon output, so it is important that measures are taken to regulate the industry.Dubai is also awash with huge hotels and these use up plenty of energy throughout an average year. A number of resorts have taken steps to reduce their gas and electricity consumption and many of them took part in the Earth Hour scheme at the weekend.The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai - which was recently confirmed as the tallest hotel on the planet - was one resort that embraced the idea.