Iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House went dark on Saturday Australians off lights across the country for an hour as part of a worldwide effort to develop a spotlight on climate change.
Hundreds of monuments around the world, including Washington National Cathedral, London Clock Tower, the Great Wall of China and Tokyo Tower will be dimmed at 8:30 pm local time.
The center of Sydney icons to participate in the annual event since Earth Hour began as a Sydney-only event in 2007. Australia is one of the first countries to touch light switches per year.
Hundreds of monuments around the world, including Washington National Cathedral, London Clock Tower, the Great Wall of China and Tokyo Tower will be dimmed at 8:30 pm local time.
The center of Sydney icons to participate in the annual event since Earth Hour began as a Sydney-only event in 2007. Australia is one of the first countries to touch light switches per year.
In New Zealand, Sky Tower in Auckland and the parliament buildings in Wellington off two hours earlier.
WWF, the Washington-based environmental organization that organizes the event, said that the number of countries and territories participating had grown from 135 last year to 147 this year.
Libya, Algeria, Bhutan, and French Guinea are among the participants for the first time.
"Earth Hour 2012 is a celebration of the power of the people, the world's largest mass event in support of the planet," WWF official Dermot O'Gorman told reporters in Sydney on Saturday, hours before the event.
