16:24, March 30, 2009

Households and businesses turned off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour on March 28 to raise awareness on climate change. Chatham Island, a tiny group of Pacific islands in New Zealand, kicked off the global lights-off campaign by switching off the diesel generators at 20:30 local time.

Major cities worldwide such as Sydney, Seoul, Beijing and Bangkok in the Asia Pacific region, Paris, London in Europe and New York and Mexico City in the Americas turned off lights to express concern for the planet.

In China, lights at iconic buildings such as the National Stadium, better known as the "Bird Nest" and National Aquatic Center, nick-named "Water Cube" in Beijing and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in Shanghai went off at 20:30 on March 28. In Dalian, a coastal city in northeast China's Liaoning province, hundreds of volunteers took part in a candle-lit celebration after lights went off. Citizens in Weifang, a city in east China's Shandong province turned off the lights and electric appliances. College students in southeast China's Chongqing municipality shut the lights off in their dormitories at 20:30 for one hour.

Earth Hour was launched in 2007 to raise general awareness on climate issues such as carbon dioxide emission and global warming. Ban Ki-Moon said, "(WWF's Earth Hour is) the largest demonstration of public concern about climate change ever attempted."
By People's Daily Online