As a symbol of commitment to the planet, some world's landmark buildings turned off non-essential lights for one hour to mark the Earth hour on March 23.
France's iconic Eiffel Tower switched off its lights on Saturday night (March 23) as part of the “Biggest Hour for Earth” campaign, to put a spotlight on nature loss and climate change.
“Turn off the lights, and move the world towards a better future for all,” UN Secretary General António Guterres said in a message for the event.
The UN chief recalled that 2023 was the hottest in history, and this year’s celebration is a global demonstration of solidarity to follow a different path.
The Empire State Building in New York, US was in the dark during Earth Hour which is also aimed raising awareness of the climate emergency and loss of nature.
A few blocks away from the Empire State building at the UN Secretariat, lights also went off on the 40-storey on the East River for 60 minutes.
“Our climate is collapsing,” Mr. Guterres said, and Earth Hour “demonstrates the power each of us has in the fight for our future”.
“Together, let’s turn off the lights and turn the world towards a brighter future for us all,” he said.
In Greece, the renowned landmark Parthenon Temple also went into darkness, heading the global call to switch off lights at 8.30 p.m. local time and spend 60 minutes doing something positive for the planet.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to conservation, started the light-off initiative in Sydney, in 2007.
The symbolic event to keep the lights off, has turned into a major catalyst to promote the environmental protection movement as the world is now at a 'tipping point' with climate and nature crises..
In Germany, lights went off at the Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site, as part of the global environmental campaign to protect nature.
Türkiye's Galata Tower located in Istanbul also joined in the campaign which now observed in over 190 countries and territories worldwide.
Several cities in Africa also marked the Earth Hour including South Africa's Johannesburg and Cape Town, Maputo in Mozambique, Younde, Cameroon and Kampala Uganda.
According to WWF, more than '410,000 hours were given' to the planet last year by supporters in over 190 countries and territories.
This year, organisers intended to make the annual event the 'Biggest Hour for Earth' by spending 60 minutes doing good for the planet.
