World landmarks go dark for a cause

'Earth Hour' calls attention to climate change

Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House shown illuminated before Earth Hour (top) and after. (IAN WALDIE/GETTY IMAGES)

LONDON - World landmarks from Sydney's Opera House to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge went dark last night as cities around the globe turned off their lights for a campaign to raise awareness of climate change.

Up to 30 million people switched off their lights for 60 minutes by the time "Earth Hour" - which started in Fiji and New Zealand - completed its cycle westward, organizers said.

More than 380 towns and cities and 3,500 businesses in 35 countries signed up for the campaign that is in its second year. The effort made its debut last year in Sydney alone.

"Earth Hour shows that everyday people are prepared to pull together to find a solution to climate change. It can be done," said James Leape of World Wildlife Fund International, which was running the campaign.

Lights at Sydney's Opera House and Harbor Bridge were switched off, and Australians held candlelight beach parties, played poker by candlelight, and floated candles down rivers.

In Bangkok some of the city's business districts, shopping malls, and billboards went dark, although streetlights stayed on. One major hotel invited guests to dine by candlelight and reported brisk business.

After Asia and the South Pacific, the lights went out in Europe and then North America as dusk descended there.

Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, and Toronto took part. Chicago's Sears Tower and Soldier Field Stadium were among the blacked out structures. In San Francisco, the Golden Gate and Bay bridges and several office towers and restaurants went dark.

In Copenhagen, the Tivoli and the Royal Palace and the opera darkened for an hour, along with many streetlights. "In the central square a lot of people were standing looking at the stars," said Ida Thuesen, spokeswoman for WWF Denmark. "It's not often you can see the stars in a city."

Floodlights went out at landmarks in Budapest, including its castle, cathedral, and parliament.

In Britain, 26 town and city councils switched off nonessential lights as did several historic buildings, including London City Hall.

In Canada, the 1,815-foot CN Tower in Toronto and the surrounding skyline plunged into temporary darkness. In Toronto's trendy Queen West neighborhood, many restaurants offered candlelight dining.

Buildings account for about one-third of the carbon emissions that scientists say will boost global average temperatures by between 1.4 and 4.0 degrees Celsius this century, bringing floods and famines and putting millions of lives at risk.

Organizers of Earth Hour said that while switching off a light for one hour would have little impact on carbon emissions, the fact that so many people were taking part showed how much interest and concern for the climate crisis had taken hold.