In a Youtube video released on 12 March, MEPs Tanja Fajon, Dan Jorgensen (both from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats) and Bas Eickhout (The European Free Alliance / Greens) joined forces to support Earth Hour and send a powerful message on the need to step up efforts in the fight against climate change.

"If we start acting now on climate change, then we can still be in for a bright future”, she said. “The engagement of every single one of us counts but the action of every single one of us will make the difference”.

Calling on everyone to switch off their lights for Earth Hour on Saturday 23 March from 8.30 to 9.30, she said: “This is certainly not THE solution but this is a reminder and the opportunity for you to stop and think about what you can do to secure a world you like with a climate you like.”

Smoggy roads can be enough to make anyone scream, but they have also inspired Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik to take a “I will if you will challenge” and offer to write a song and perform it on stage in front of 1,000 people.

Speaking in a Youtube video released on 25 February, Potočnik said that if 1,000 people stopped using their cars for at least one week, he would compose and sing a ditty in front of the same number of people.

“By lending his support to the WWF’s Earth Hour initiative, Commissioner Potočnik joined the millions of people around the world who are already showing their concern for the environment. In the coming weeks, we are expecting other key EU leaders to join and publicly demonstrate their support” commented Tony Long, Director of the WWF European Policy Office.

“Earth Hour has always been more than a ‘lights off for an hour’ campaign - We are now seeing some extraordinary environmental outcomes on the way to achieving a long-term vision for a sustainable planet. In 2013, Earth Hour changes from an annual event towards a continuous movement driving real actions for change."