Edmund Rice Justice Bulletin

The unseasonal snow and icy conditions currently being experienced in parts of Europe provide further confirmation of the dire warnings of scientists of an increasing incidence of extreme weather events as a result of human-induced climate change. On March 23rd hundreds of millions of people participated in Earth Hour again uniting to send a clear message – we are determined to create a sustainable future for our planet.

The event was observed in more than 7000 cities, towns and municipalities in more than 150 countries and territories, with many of the world’s best known human and natural landmarks going dark as the backdrop to a multitude of “beyond the hour” activities and initiatives generating outcomes for the movement and the planet on which we live.

Some of the key landmarks that marked the event include the Sydney opera house and Harbour bridge, Petronas towers in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore's Marina Bay Sands, Tokyo tower, Taipei 101, the Bird's Nest in Beijing, the Gateway of India, the world's tallest building the Burj Khalifa, the Ancient Citadel of Erbil in Kurdistan, Table Mountain, the Bosphorus Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, the Brandenburg Gate, the UK Houses of Parliament, Buckingham palace, the Empire State Building, Niagara Falls and Los Angeles airport.

Earth Day on April 22nd provides another opportunity for those unable to participate or those who would wish to continue to express their concern about the need for urgent action to address climate change.