A climate science centre was opened at the Gomtu Higher Secondary School in Samtse, as part of this year’s Earth Hour celebration on March 30.
Earth Hour started off as a symbolic lights out event in 2007. Today, Earth Hour is the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment, inspiring millions of people to take action for the planet and nature.
The fourth climate science centre and weather station opened in Gomtu HSS will provide students with an opportunity to operate and record daily weather, and to get hands-on experience about the effects of climate change.
The first such centre was established at Dungkar Lower Secondary School in Lhuentse in 2016.
The students of Gomtu HSS hosted this year’s Earth Hour celebration after winning the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Bhutan’s first Bend the Curve Challenge.
The challenge was an open contest for schools to advocate ten sustainable actions in their schools and communities to improve on the devastating trends in global biodiversity.
“Our school got the opportunity to establish the climate science centre for weather forecasting and to read the temperature. It is a great opportunity, ” Bikram Gurung, a student, said.
The 17 students who led the challenge were also recognised during the celebration.
Some of the activities carried as part of the challenge included organising a talk on the importance of biodiversity, planting beetle-nut trees around the school campus, meeting with local shop owners to advocate reducing plastic use, and instituting a weekly practice to eat vegetarian meals at the school to promote environmentally-friendly food habits.
“Bend the curve challenge was quite an exciting experience because I got to interact more with people and know more about nature. It was quite an achievement for us because we didn’t really think we would win,” Rozy Chhetri, a student, said.
As part of the event, 300 students and faculty of the school planted 195 trees-representing the 195 countries that inhabit the Earth.
“We want to spark the curiosity nature in the children so that they become curious about nature, want to learn more about nature and carry out activities to save the environment. With the climate science centre, students can carry out research about climate and about biodiversity,” Tenzin Rabgye, the Senior Communications Officer of WWF Bhutan, said.
The WWF Bhutan in collaboration with the National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology and the Department of Forests organized the event.
Meanwhile, major landmarks across the country including dzongs took part in the big switch off to mark the Earth Hour by switching off the lights from 8:30 pm to 9:30 for an hour to show the commitment of people towards this noble cause and responsibility.
