World dims lights for Earth Hour
Lights are being turned off across cities and towns and scores of world monuments tonight at sunset for the seventh annual Earth Hour, a global campaign to build awareness around climate change and raise money for environmental projects.
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As clocks hit 8:30pm in consecutive time zones, lights will be switched off and major landmarks will go dark.
Among the first was Sydney’s Opera House and Harbour Bridge, and in several hours time the ‘City of Light’ will see the Eiffel Tower disappear into the night.
A total of 200 French cities and 399 other French monuments are also expected to be switched off this evening.
Launched by the Worldwide Fund for Nature in 2008, Earth Hour is designed to symbolise what individuals can do to cut down on carbon emissions and mobilise around efforts to protect the planet and conserve energy.
“What motivates people is a sense of global citizenship,” said Pierre Cannet from WWF-France. “Earth Hour is happening in France but also 157 countries all around the world.”
The event has also partnered with the online payment giant PayPal and the Asian fundraising site Crowdonomic to fund local projects.
An estimated 7,000 cities from all corners of the world are estimated to participate.
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