By Zayed Shah, Technical Associate in Strategy & Programmes at Frontier25
Each year, on the last Saturday of March, between 8:30pm and 9:30pm in their local time, millions of people across the world switch off the non-essential lights in their homes and workplaces for 60 minutes in recognition of Earth Hour. Since it began in 2007 in Sydney, organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Earth Hour has become one of the world’s most recognisable climate awareness moments.
In 2025, over three million hours were reportedly given to the WWF’s hour bank by Earth Hour participants, more than double the 1.4 million hours given in 2024. But what began as a symbolic act of collective awareness nearly 20 years ago, now sits within a very different context, one where the challenge is no longer recognising the problem, but delivering solutions at scale.
Today, governments have committed to net zero pathways, companies have embedded sustainability into strategy, and capital is increasingly flowing toward climate investments. Progress is consistently being made, but global delivery still needs to catch up with the ambitious goals that have been pledged.
Earth Hour produces short term electricity reductions of around 4% during the hour across multiple countries, which is meaningful symbolically but modest in absolute terms.[1] But while it’s unsurprising that a single hour cannot be a substitute for structural changes in how energy systems are built and operated, its impact is still significant.
The real value of Earth Hour lies less in the kilowatt hours that it saves and more in the drive and inspiration that the moment can catalyse. In those 60 minutes and beyond, we have an opportunity to reflect on whether our modern energy systems are sufficiently designed for efficiency, resilience, and scale.
Taking an hour to recognise the problem at hand is meaningful, especially at such a large scale, but designing systems that no longer rely on excess energy is where the truly transformative potential lies.
From awareness to implementation
For the world to achieve net zero, we need coordinated progress across energy infrastructure, policy, finance, and technology, including streamlined permitting, grid reinforcement and storage, and capital that moves at deployment pace. The next phase of the energy transition will be defined not only by renewable capacity installed, but by how effectively energy is managed and consumed.
This requires a shift in narrative, from visibility to impact, from awareness to execution, and from isolated actions to integrated systems, where efficiency is foundational. In recent years, we have largely seen the collective narrative shift from why we should act to how. And while renewables dominate headlines, energy efficiency remains one of the most immediate and cost-effective solutions.
Buildings account for roughly 30% of global final energy demand, and in hot climate regions, space cooling is a defining driver of peak load, making improvements to envelopes, cooling systems, lighting, and controls especially impactful.[2]
Digitisation expands this potential. Reviews show that AI-enabled building energy management can deliver substantial savings, with HVAC reductions of up to approximately 37% in offices, while smart lighting with occupancy and daylight sensing, and networked controls, can produce persistent reductions when properly commissioned.[3], [4]
Scaling these gains requires more than technology. Codes, commissioning, enforcement, data access, measurement and verification, and finance for retrofits are essential to convert potential into system level outcomes, as recognised by the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge made at COP28.
COP28: the dual pledge and what it means
At COP28, countries recognised a defining truth: the energy transition must address both supply and demand. Alongside the widely cited goal to triple global renewable power capacity by 2030, countries also committed to double the global rate of energy efficiency improvement over the same period.
This dual focus reflects a critical shift. Renewable expansion alone cannot deliver objectives if underlying demand grows inefficiently. With efficiency embedded, the transition becomes more cost effective, less resource intensive, and faster, while easing pressure on grids.
This shift from ambition to execution is increasingly visible in markets like the UAE, where both supply and demand side measures are being deployed in parallel.
Nationally, electricity demand continues to grow in the UAE, with total generation reaching 177 TWh in 2024, up 3.2% from 2023. Demand is driven largely by cooling needs, which account for approximately 25% of annual electricity consumption, alongside industrial activity and transport, while the power system remains predominantly gas based at around 70% and per capita consumption ranks among the highest globally.
However, the generation mix is shifting rapidly. Low carbon sources now account for close to 30% of total electricity generation. On the supply side, the UAE is scaling clean energy through nuclear and solar deployment. Nuclear generation from the Barakah plant accounts for a significant share of electricity generation, while solar capacity continues to expand across multiple emirates. Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will exceed 8,000 MW by 2030 and is widely recognised as the world’s largest single site solar park.
On the demand side, the UAE is placing increasing emphasis on efficiency, supported by national programmes targeting a 40% reduction in energy demand by 2050.
These efforts are anchored in the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative and its updated NDC, which targets a 51% reduction in power sector emissions intensity by 2030 compared to 2019 baseline levels, supported by clean energy expansion, efficiency gains, and fuel switching.
Beyond the hour
Earth Hour remains a powerful moment of collective reflection, sustaining visibility for climate action. However, the real impact will not come from a single hour of reduced consumption. It will come from the 8,759 hours that follow, from buildings that minimise waste by design, from industrial systems engineered for efficiency, and from urban environments that treat demand reduction as core infrastructure.
In short, it will come from systems designed not only to generate clean energy, but to use it intelligently.
