Nations dim lights for Earth Hour

SYDNEY: Sydney’s Opera House and - ness Saturday to mark Earth Hour, their lights to draw attention to climate change.

Millions of people from some 170 countries and territories were expected - cars and power plants.

The event, which originated in worldwide environmental campaign,

organizes Earth Hour, said great the dire state of the planet.

show leaders that climate change was - nator Siddarth Das said.

- ings switched off their lights for an hour from 8:30 p.m. local time as the the world.

“I agree with the concept, 100 in Sydney.

fact that climate change is happening, so it’s good to see the city grouping

From Australia, it moved westward through Asia, where Hong Kong’s skyline went dark in solidarity while at Myanmar’s most sacred pagoda, the Shwedagon, 10,000 oil lamps were to

throughout Africa, Europe and the Americas.

Monuments including the Empire State Building, the Kremlin, Big Ben, the Tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower and Egypt’s pyramids were to go dark to mark the event.

a tree-planting ceremony.

- nesses to encourage a shift towards

to join in, and individuals can commit

PH is ‘Hero Country’

In the Philippines, Earth Hour’s main switch-off event was at the SM Mall of Asia complex in the Manila Bay reclamation area.

- cords from 2009 to 2012, emerging as Earth Hour Hero Country.

“Through the support of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, leagues of municipali- ties, cities and provinces, the Metro Manila Development Authority and other government partners, Earth Hour in the Philippines has always - nessing a growing multi-sectoral support system, proving that more

Last year, scientists recorded the Earth’s hottest temperatures in modern times for the third year in a row.

Nations agreed in Paris in 2015 to - grees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial temperatures.

That is the level at which many scientists say humankind can still avoid worst-case climate outcomes in terms of rising sea levels, worsening violent superstorms.

that our actions can have a ripple effect

“It is up to each of us to ensure the impact we create helps instead to improve the lives of those around us and elsewhere, at present and in

to climate change.

the world’s most violent typhoons, and has had to adapt to climate change earlier than most countries, yet is home to a resilient and cheerful

Light pollution

The moment of darkness should also serve as a reminder, activists say, attention: light pollution.

More than 80 percent of humanity - cial light, scientists recently calculated.

In the United States and western percent of the population, most of in the night sky.

some animals and the migration of

For humans, circadian rhythms that regulate hormones and other night.

Even the most ardent critics of light pollution are not saying cities should go dark, or that lighting is not an es

But society needs to address a growing list of concerns, they suggest.

Diana Umpierre, president of the International Dark-Sky Association, said of light pollution in her home state of Florida.

And things are moving in the wrong direction, she told AFP.

- lion more residents in the next 50 that entails.

By contrast, in Chad, the Central not coincidentally among the poorest of people have a clear view of the heavens.

light pollution than astronomers

than 2,100 meters (nearly 8,000 feet) -

Not taken lightly

- Umpierre.

she argued, citing studies showing no lighting at night.

doctors, non-governmental organizations and even UNESCO have joined detailing negative impacts to health other animals.

In 2012, the American Medical Association (AMA) concluded that

And it called for more research

Last year, the AMA raised another

Local governments in wealthy countries are racing to replace existing streetlights with LEDs, which consume less energy and last longer.

In the United States, fully 10 per switched over to LED.

That is good news for the fight AMA cautioned.

“Some LED lights are harmful statement.

impact on circadian sleep rhythms AMA concluded.

our view on the night sky even more than traditional city lighting.

means the stars get lost against of a 2016 world atlas of night sky

A petition circulating in Madrid safety and health impacts of LED lighting.

and Montreal, along with Phoenix -