City of Light will go into darkness for one hour

subscribe

The City of Light will plunge into darkness for one hour next month.

Parisian landmarks including the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame cathedral will join other famous sites as more than 400 cities in 75 countries switch the lights off March 28 between 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for Earth Hour.

"Earth Hour is a visual mandate that allows people to vote on this issue of climate change. Do we act or do we not," Earth Hour executive director Andy Ridley said in a phone interview from Sydney, Australia, where the event began two years ago.

Paris is one of 28 French cities and towns to join the World Wildlife Fund Earth Hour initiative. Belize agreed to participate after South Korea joined.

Ridley believes that "2009 is probably the most important year in terms of climate change" because the Copenhagen negotiations on climate are set for this December.

"No country on its own can act on its own to deal with climate change," Ridley said. "It has to be everyone acting and everyone making that commitment to lower emissions."

Last year, more than 50 million people around the world flipped the switch. Other landmarks set to go dark include the CN Tower, Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue and Sydney's Opera House.

Related News

abu dhabi nuclear plant

Crucial step towards completing nuclear plant achieved in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI - The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has successfully completed Cold Hydrostatic Testing (CHT) at Unit 4 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, the Arab world’s first nuclear energy plant being built in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, UAE. The testing incorporated the lessons learned from the previous three units and is a crucial step towards the completion of Unit 4, the final unit of the Barakah plant.

As a part of CHT, the pressure inside Unit 4’s systems was increased to 25 per cent above what will be the normal operating pressure, demonstrating the quality and…

READ MORE
canadian grid power lines

State-sponsored actors 'very likely' looking to attack electricity supply, says intelligence agency

READ MORE

alberta solar

Solar power is the red-hot growth area in oil-rich Alberta

READ MORE

russia china electricity trade

Russia to triple electricity supplies to China

READ MORE

tokyo electricity

Analysis: Out in the cold: how Japan's electricity grid came close to blackouts

READ MORE