Lights go out in Earth Hour
PARIS – Iconic global monuments, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France; the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia; the Acropolis in Athens, Greece; and the Opera House in Sydney, Australia plunged into darkness Saturday to mark Earth Hour and draw attention to climate change.
Millions of people from some 170 countries and territories took part in the annual bid to highlight global warming caused by the burning of coal, oil, and gas to drive cars and power plants.
The event, which originated in Sydney, has grown to become a worldwide environmental campaign, celebrated across all continents.
Conservation group World Wildlife Fund, which organizes Earth Hour, said great strides had been made in highlighting the dire state of the planet.
“We started Earth Hour in 2007 to show leaders that climate change was an issue people cared about,” coordinator Siddarth Das said.
“For that symbolic moment to turn into the global movement it is today, is really humbling and speaks volumes about the powerful role of people in issues that affect their lives.”
In Sydney, many harborside buildings switched off their lights for an hour from 8:30 p.m. local time as the call for action began rolling out across the world.
“I agree with the concept, 100 percent,” said student Ed Gellert, 24, in Sydney. “I think people probably avoid the fact that climate change is happening, so it's good to see the city grouping together to support Earth Hour.”
From Australia, it moved westward through Asia, with many of the skyscrapers ringing Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor going dark in solidarity while at Myanmar's most sacred pagoda, the Shwedagon, 10,000 oil lamps were to be lit to shine a light on climate action.
The lights of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France's best-known symbol, were switched off for five minutes at 1930 GMT and the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the world's tallest building, also went dark for one hour.
London's Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and London Eye giant wheel followed suit and were among 270 British landmarks that switched off.
Berlin’s famed Brandenburg Gate and its City Hall also plunged into darkness as some 300 other German cities also took part in the event.
In Singapore, around 200 organizations, including buildings along the city-state's iconic skyline, went black to mark the occasion. Organizers said about 35,000 people watched performances and participated in a “carbon-neutral run” which saw some runners in panda and tiger costumes to raise awareness of wildlife protection.
And in Japan, Tokyo's famed Sony Building in Ginza extinguished its bright lights to honor the occasion.