Philippines Leads Global Earth Hour Bank with Record-Breaking 1.3M Hours

A record-breaking Earth Hour: Filipinos lead the charge globally with 1.3M hours for the planet, cutting 161.98 MW from the grid and uniting 44 institutions in a powerful stand for Earth.

Filipinos, in a collective effort, dedicated over 1.3 million hours doing something positive for planet Earth as part of the annual Earth Hour celebration led by WWF-Philippines. This remarkable feat is a testament to the Filipino spirit and their demand for concrete actions to protect the environment, according to Earth Hour Philippines National Director, Atty. Angela Consuelo Ibay.

Data collated on the EarthHour.org website through self-reporting of individuals showed Philippines had 1,377,368 hours, while China had 783,674 hours and India had 359,652 hours. The global celebration of Earth Hour in 2025 collected a total of 2,925,040 hours from 118 countries and territories, underscoring the collective effort towards environmental and climate action.

“Filipinos want breathable air, cooler weather, clean water, healthy forests and ecosystems, and more renewable energy. This is the strong message they sent when they joined the global switch-off of Earth Hour. A clear sign that leaders and officials should do more for the environment and our planet,” Atty. Ibay, who also serves as WWF-Philippines Climate and Energy Programme Head, said.

“The growth of this global grassroots movement has been phenomenal, especially here in the Philippines, where we have achieved our highest number of hours this 2025,” she added.

Residents and volunteers come together to paint bare walls in four barangays in Manila City. Each community mural is inspired by the residents’ vision for their communities.Young hands, big impact. Communities join forces in Barangays 294, 407, 677, and 830 to transform blank walls into powerful murals that inspire action against plastic pollution.

The global Earth Hour “Hour Bank” allows individuals to self-report the hours they spent doing something positive for nature such as doing outdoor activities like coastal cleanup, cooking zero waste meals, planting or growing vegetables, watching nature documentaries, teaching about the environment, reading a book about nature, having an acoustic music session, and many more.

Environmental advocates and volunteers from Donsol, Sorsogon gathered in support for Earth Hour, reinforcing their commitment to sustainability and marine conservation.

The over 1.3 million hours logged in the Philippines for 2025 is a more than 1000% jump from 2024 where 116,273 hours were logged. This surge in Earth Hour participation is a clear indication of the growing demand for environmental and climate action. Earth Hour this year saw 28 partners from national government agencies, as well as local governments and multiple corporations also contributing through switch-off activities in their respective localities and establishments.

The Department of Energy (DOE) saw a significant increase in the amount of energy saved during the 1-hour lights-off for this year. An electricity supply grid load drop of 161.98 megawatts (MW) was recorded from 8:30pm-9:30pm. In 2024, DOE reported a 132.11 MW load drop.

“While Earth Hour started as a movement to raise awareness on climate change back in 2007, it has now evolved into a bigger movement towards societal, cultural, and more importantly political, actions for a more environment-friendly world,” Ibay said.

“Our country has been consistently the top-ranked country in the world when it comes to disaster risk. It is about time that Filipinos demand concrete actions, not just promises, from leaders to put measures in place that will protect people from the adverse effects of climate change,” she added.

Earth Hour, celebrated this year with the theme “Switch Off and Secure Water for All,” is the world’s biggest grassroots movement, promoting awareness of the impacts of climate change and environmental protection and the actions people can take to address them. WWF-Philippines led the celebration by supporting activities at different locations and cities, allowing for a wider reach and bigger impact across the country. The aim for Earth Hour this year is to highlight issues on water security and its connection to climate change impacts and protecting nature.