If LG can shut operations down for an Earth Hour, you can power down for just 60 minutes, right?

The northern lights. Switch off yours for earth hour.
(Image credit: WWF)

If you're reading this in the distant future from a SpaceX station on Mars, and watching the long dead earth spinning in the distance, you can safely ignore this historical article. If not, buckle up.

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(Image credit: Future)

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Korean electronics giant LG just announced it will be taking part in Earth Hour, a movement instigated by the WWF which seeks to help relieve our carbon footprint and show how much we care about our only (current) home. LG plans to half its carbon emissions by 2030 and is encouraging people to take part in Earth Hour with it.

"LG has joined the campaign to sympathize with the severity of climate change and strengthen its commitment to reducing carbon emissions," an LG official is reported to have said (via machine translation), "LG plans to actively respond to the strengthening of international environmental regulations in the future, as well as to develop eco-friendly products and technologies."

The movement, which started 15 years ago, will involve households and companies switching off all non-essential lights and devices for just an hour, as a way to show support, raise awareness, and help reduce carbon emissions.

Already, the WWF has gained support of countless public personalities—Greta Thunberg, the Canadian Prime Minister, and The Pope included—as well as companies such as Philips, Ikea, The Body Shop, FIFA, HSBC, and many others.

With more mega corporations like LG joining the fray, it seems the movement is gaining momentum. So why not join the fun? The WWF site offers participation toolkits to give prospective participants an idea of what is expected, as well as potential ways to spend your time in the dark.

The event will be taking place on Saturday, March 27 at 12:30 - 11:30 pm PST (8:30 - 9:30 pm GMT). If you're willing and able, we extend another challenge to you: slap that off button on your PC. 

It's just for an hour. We promise it won't go anywhere. Besides, absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say.

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Katie Wickens
Hardware Writer

Screw sports, Katie would rather watch Intel, AMD and Nvidia go at it. Having been obsessed with computers and graphics for three long decades, she took Game Art and Design up to Masters level at uni, and has been rambling about games, tech and science—rather sarcastically—for four years since. She can be found admiring technological advancements, scrambling for scintillating Raspberry Pi projects, preaching cybersecurity awareness, sighing over semiconductors, and gawping at the latest GPU upgrades. Right now she's waiting patiently for her chance to upload her consciousness into the cloud.