Office blocks and floodlit attractions worldwide fell into complete darkness today in a gesture to emphasise environmental concerns. Some 4,000 cities in over 120 countries took part in the fourth annual Earth Hour and switched off their lights at 20:30 to reduce electricity consumption.
In the UK, lights went out at Downing Street and Buckingham Palace, in addition to Big Ben and other tourist attractions. The event started at the isolated Chatham Islands off the shore of New Zealand, where lights were switched off as local time struck 20:30.
Elsewhere, the Sydney Opera House, the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower were among the famous structures which participated in the green event in a bid to tackle climate change. In the UK, the Windsor Castle, Edinburgh Castle and Millennium Stadium were plunged into darkness as well.
David Nussbaum, CEO of WWF-UK, said that Earth Hour is an evident demonstration of the massive support of cities and individuals worldwide for a joint effort to combat climate change. Nussbaum is asking world leaders to finish the work they had started at the climate change conference in Copenhagen last year by making a fair climate deal.
In Europe, Germany allowed the Cologne Cathedral and Brandenburg Gate to go dark, while the Netherlands had cut the lights of most city buildings – including the Amsterdam Arena, Schiphol Airport and Artis Zoo. Meanwhile, China joined the Earth Hour for the second time this year, with the panda Mei Lan kicking off the event. Lights were also switched off at Beijing’s imperial palace, the Forbidden City.
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