Question map
Consider the following statements regarding 'Earth Hour' : 1. It is an initiative of UNEP and UNESCO. 2. It is a movement in which the participants switch off the lights for one hour on a certain day every year. 3. It is a movement to raise the awareness about the climate change and the need to save the planet. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
**Explanation:**
Statement 1 is **incorrect**. While UNEP and UNESCO work with young people on environmental issues, Earth Hour is not their initiative. The documents do not support the claim that Earth Hour is organized by UNEP and UNESCO.
Statement 2 is **correct**. Earth Hour is held annually by encouraging individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights for one hour, on a specific day towards the end [1]of March, typically on the last Saturday of March from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.[2]
Statement 3 is **correct**. The movement aims to raise awareness about environmental issues, specifically highlighting the vulnerability of our planet, and the need to tackle climate change and protect nature[3].
Therefore, only statements 2 and 3 are correct, making option C the right answer.
Sources- [1] https://abhipedia.abhimanu.com/Article/IAS/NzE3MDgEEQQVV/Consider-the-following-statements-regarding-39-Earth-Hour-39-1-It-is-an-initiative-of-UNEP-and-UNESC-Environment-and-Ecology
- [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Hour
- [3] https://www.wwf.org.uk/earth-hour/switching-off-earth-hour-can-help
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis is a classic 'Agency Swap' trap. UPSC tests if you can distinguish between official UN mandates (UNEP/UNESCO) and major civil society campaigns (WWF). The question is fair because Earth Hour is a headline event, but it penalizes those who assume every 'Earth' title belongs to the UN.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Is Earth Hour an initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UNESCO?
- Statement 2: Does Earth Hour involve participants switching off non-essential lights for one hour on a specific day each year?
- Statement 3: Is Earth Hour a movement aimed at raising awareness about climate change and the need to protect/save the planet?
Defines UNEP as the leading global environmental authority that initiates and promotes global environmental agendas and programmes.
A student could use this rule to ask whether Earth Hour fits UNEP's typical activities (global awareness/agenda-setting) and then check Earth Hour's organizer credits against UNEP's listed initiatives.
Shows UNEP commonly collaborates with other UN agencies (e.g., UNDP, FAO) to create joint programmes.
A student might consider whether Earth Hour is likely to be a joint-agency initiative and therefore look for multi-agency sponsorship/partnership statements for Earth Hour.
Gives an example where UNEP co‑established a major international body (IPCC) with another organization (WMO), illustrating UNEP's role in founding global environmental initiatives with partners.
Use this pattern to ask whether Earth Hour was founded by UNEP alone or jointly, and then verify founding/organizing partners for Earth Hour.
Describes UNESCO running environmental programmes (Man and the Biosphere) and recognizing sites, showing UNESCO also initiates and manages environmental initiatives.
Apply this pattern to question whether UNESCO would be a plausible initiator of a global public-awareness event like Earth Hour and then check UNESCO's programme lists or announcements for Earth Hour.
Explains that international agencies (including UNEP) convene conferences and promote coordinated global responses (e.g., Earth Summit), indicating such agencies lead large public/awareness environmental actions.
From this, a student could infer that Earth Hour might be within the remit of such agencies and therefore look for official conference/initiative records to confirm the organizers.
- Explicitly states Earth Hour is held annually.
- Specifies landmarks and businesses switch off non-essential electric lights for one hour, usually on the last Saturday of March.
- Describes Earth Hour as a worldwide movement organized by WWF held annually.
- Says participants are encouraged to turn off non-essential electric lights for one hour on a specific day towards the end of March.
- Provides practical instruction for participating in Earth Hour.
- Specifically instructs people to switch off any non-essential lights for 60 minutes.
Lists 'turn off lights not being used' as an explicit energy-saving action, showing the practice of switching off lights is a recognized conservation measure.
A student could extend this by noting organised campaigns often adopt such recognized measures (turning off lights) as their core action and then check if Earth Hour matches this practice.
Explains the Earth's rotation takes ~24 hours and defines an hour as a standard unit of daily time.
Use this to interpret the phrase 'one hour' in campaigns (a conventional 60-minute period) and compare with event descriptions to see if Earth Hour uses that duration.
Describes Daylight Saving Time as a coordinated clock change of one hour on specific dates, illustrating that social practices can schedule one‑hour adjustments on particular days.
A student could generalise that environmental events might choose a fixed date for a one‑hour action, and thus check whether Earth Hour is similarly scheduled annually.
States the Earth completes one revolution in one year, defining 'a year' as a standard time period used for annual events.
A student could combine this with knowledge that many global events repeat yearly to infer that an event described as annual likely occurs on a specific day each year, then verify if Earth Hour is annual.
- Explicitly links Earth Hour to highlighting the planet's vulnerability and the need to tackle climate change.
- States Earth Hour aims to protect nature and mobilize people and landmarks worldwide, supporting the awareness/planet-protection purpose.
- Describes Earth Hour as a worldwide movement organized by WWF that involves turning off lights as a symbolic commitment to the planet.
- Frames the initiative as connected to saving/protecting the planet, aligning with raising awareness about climate issues.
Describes that small actions like saving energy and water, reusing and recycling, and learning/sharing ideas help protect the planet — a pattern typical of public-awareness movements.
A student could link this to Earth Hour (a widely known event where people switch off lights for an hour) as an example of an energy-saving awareness action aimed at protecting the planet.
Mentions mass education about ecology and use of media and events (conferences/seminars) to train citizens to realise environmental significance — indicating the role of organised awareness campaigns.
One could infer that organised events using media to promote energy-saving and climate awareness (like Earth Hour) fit this listed method of raising awareness.
Lima Ministerial Declaration calls on governments to put climate awareness into curricula and national plans — showing official emphasis on awareness-raising as a climate strategy.
A student could reason that civil-society movements (e.g., Earth Hour) operate in the same awareness-raising space as these policy initiatives, aiming to influence public attitudes about climate action.
Explains that burning fossil fuels causes greenhouse gases and that small changes in temperature threaten life — framing why awareness and action to protect the planet are needed.
Connecting the problem description (need to reduce emissions) to grassroots awareness events, a student could see Earth Hour as a plausible public response to highlight such issues.
States human activities influence Earth's climate and that science and actions by people are key to solutions — implying the usefulness of campaigns that inform and mobilise people.
A student could extend this to view awareness movements (like switching off lights to symbolise action) as one behavioral/educational response to human-caused climate change.
- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter for news-readers, Trap for guessers. Source: Standard Current Affairs / WWF Website.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Global Environmental Movements & Commemorative Days (Who organizes what?).
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the 'Parent Body' for these confusing siblings: Earth Hour (WWF) vs Earth Day (EARTHDAY.ORG) vs World Environment Day (UNEP) vs Earth Overshoot Day (Global Footprint Network) vs Living Planet Report (WWF).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: When reading about a campaign, apply the 'Parent-Action-Goal' framework. Never assume an initiative is UN-led just because it sounds global. Explicitly check: Is this an NGO, a UN body, or a WEF initiative?
The statement attributes an initiative to UNEP; several references define UNEP as the UN's leading environmental authority and describe its programmes and actions.
High-yield for UPSC: questions frequently ask about mandates and functions of UN bodies. Understanding UNEP's remit helps evaluate whether an initiative (like Earth Hour) plausibly falls under its activities, and links to topics on global environmental governance and international cooperation. Prepare by reviewing UNEP's mandate, flagship programmes, and examples of initiatives.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > 28.1. UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP) > p. 387
- Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Environment and Natural Resources > Environmental Concerns in Global Politics > p. 83
The evidence highlights major UN environmental conferences (Rio 1992 / Earth Summit) and Agenda 21, which contextualizes how UN-led environmental action is organised.
Frequent UPSC theme: international environmental agreements and conferences. Mastering Earth Summit and Agenda 21 clarifies how global environmental initiatives are launched and the distinction between UN policy frameworks and non-UN campaigns. Study summit outcomes, key documents, and their implications for national policy.
- Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Environment and Natural Resources > Environmental Concerns in Global Politics > p. 83
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 21: Sustainable Development and Climate Change > THE EARTH SUMMIT > p. 597
The references show UNESCO running specific environment-related programmes (MAB biosphere reserves), highlighting that UNESCO's environmental role is programme-specific rather than universally encompassing all environmental initiatives.
Useful for UPSC to distinguish mandates across UN agencies (UNEP vs UNESCO). Many questions probe which agency handles which domain (education/culture vs environment). Focus on memorising core UNESCO programmes and how they differ from UNEP-led actions; use comparative tables and past papers for retention.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 29: Environment Issues and Health Effects > 5. Biosphere > p. 433
DST is about shifting clock hours to extend evening daylight, which is conceptually related to reducing artificial lighting demand during evening hours.
High-yield for UPSC: DST links physical geography (seasonal daylight changes) with policy choices that affect energy use and daily life. Questions may ask about rationale, advantages/disadvantages, and impacts on energy consumption. Master by studying DST mechanics and practicing policy-impact questions.
- Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Daylight Saving in Temperate Regions > p. 254
Understanding why the Earth has 24-hour days and how hours relate to rotation helps interpret events described as 'one hour' and links timing of public actions to natural daylight.
Core geography concept: repeatedly tested (day/night, time zones, longitude calculations). Useful for questions on temporal coordination of national/global events and energy-use timing. Learn by mastering rotation, 24-hour division, and practice problems on time differences.
- Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > 19.1. Rotation of Earth > p. 251
- Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 12: Earth, Moon, and the Sun > 12.1 Rotation of the Earth > p. 172
Practical tips like 'turn off lights not being used' directly relate to the behavioural action implicit in switching off lights to save energy.
Relevant for contemporary issues and environment/energy sections in UPSC: connects micro-level actions to broader energy conservation policy. Expect questions on demand-side measures and low-cost interventions; revise common measures and their effectiveness using case examples.
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 17: Contemporary Issues > Energy > p. 90
The statement concerns climate awareness; several references describe how human activities disturb Earth's temperature, threaten life, and create a ‘triple planetary crisis'.
High-yield for UPSC environment/GS papers: explains the anthropogenic basis of contemporary climate debates and frames policy responses. Useful for questions on causes/impacts of climate change and for linking science to policy. Prepare by consolidating causes, key impacts, and examples from syllabus texts to answer analytical and demand‑type questions.
- Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 1: Exploring the Investigative World of Science > Dear Young Scientists, > p. 5
- Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 13: Our Home: Earth, a Unique Life Sustaining Planet > 13.6 What Are the Threats to Life on Earth? > p. 223
- Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 13: Our Home: Earth, a Unique Life Sustaining Planet > 13.4.4 The importance of balance > p. 219
Since Earth Hour is by WWF, the next logical question is on WWF's other flagship: The 'Living Planet Report' and the 'Living Planet Index'. Also, remember 'Earth Overshoot Day' is calculated by the Global Footprint Network, not the UN.
The 'Bureaucratic Mismatch' Hack: UNEP (policy/science) and UNESCO (culture/education) rarely co-brand a simple 'switch off lights' campaign. That is a grassroots/activist style, typical of NGOs like WWF or Greenpeace. Formal UN initiatives usually involve 'Conventions', 'Frameworks', or 'Decades', not catchy hourly events.
Connect this to GS-3 Environment (Conservation) and the 'LiFE' (Lifestyle for Environment) movement launched by India. Earth Hour is a prime example of 'Nudge Theory' in environmental behavioral change—using symbolic acts to drive policy awareness.