In New Zealand, among other things, the observation and telecommunications tower Sky Tower and the Harbor Bridge in Auckland and the parliament in the capital Wellington were shrouded in darkness. This year the focus is not only on protecting the planet, but also on the desire for peace in Ukraine and around the world.
“To build a future in harmony with nature, we also need peace among people,” said WWF International Director General Marco Lambertini. “For this reason, this year’s Earth Hour offers a moment of solidarity with all peoples suffering from war and conflict around the world.”
Sydney Opera House dark for the 16th time
In Australia, where Earth Hour began in 2007, the world-famous Sydney Opera House was there for the 16th consecutive year. “As a symbol of modern Australia and as the first Australian performing arts organization to commit to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Sydney Opera House has an important responsibility to lead by example,” said Sustainability Manager Emma Bombonato.
In Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, the twin towers of the Petronas Towers – the city’s landmark – had announced their participation. In the city-state of Singapore, all Starbucks branches wanted to switch off the lights – and serve free coffee for an hour. And in Bangkok, the Grand Palace was set to go dark, as well as world-famous temples like Wat Arun and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Thailand’s national shrine.
In Austria, all provincial capitals and landmarks such as Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, the Golden Roof in Innsbruck or the Pöstlingberg Basilica in Linz are taking part.
According to the WWF, Earth Hour is the largest worldwide climate and environmental protection campaign. Millions of people all over the world turn off their lights at 8:30 p.m. local time on a certain day in March, thus taking a stand for the protection of the planet. Numerous buildings are also darkened. The starting gun was fired in Sydney when around 2.2 million people switched off the light on March 31, 2007 – and thus made history.
Source: Nachrichten
