At 8.30pm on Saturday, March 27 nearly 100 iconic landmarks in 1,000 cities and towns around the world will switch off their lights for Earth Hour 2010, joining hundreds of millions of people showing their commitment to the environment.
Earth Hour will reach new heights this year, with the world’s three tallest buildings – the new Burj Khalifa in Dubai, CN Tower in Toronto and Taipei 101 in Taiwan – going dark for the global event.
Melbourne’s Luna Park, Rialto Tower, Arts Centre and Crown Casino; Brisbane’s Story Bridge; Adelaide’s Town Hall and Rundle Mall Lantern; The National Library and Australian War Memorial in Canberra and the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Tower, Harbour Bridge and Luna Park will join this growing list.
World-famous sites across the US, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Empire State Building, Mount Rushmore and even the lights of Las Vegas, will switch off in a decisive display of climate action from one of the most significant nations on the climate landscape.
Some of the worldâs great metropolises will ‘flick the switch’ on their signature landmarks, marking their dedication to sustainable development and joining their citizens in adopting low-carbon practices.
Hiroshima will become the first Japanese city to show its commitment to global climate action when the lights go out on its iconic Peace Memorial. In London, lights will dim on the world-famous London Eye as the Coca-Cola sign in Piccadilly Circus switches off.
The actions shown by cities of the world and their inhabitants are crucial to leading a low-carbon resolution to climate change, says Earth Hour Co-Founder and Executive Director, Andy Ridley.
"The C40 suggests that cities are responsible for up to 75% of the worldâs carbon emissions, so their role in addressing what is unequivocally the greatest threat to the planet today is absolutely vital," Andy said.
"By turning the lights off for Earth Hour, cities are reflecting the aspirations of their citizens as a community that has resolved to take action on global warming," he said.
As Earth Hour has grown from a one-city initiative in 2007 to a global phenomenon in 2009, renowned icons, including the Great Pyramids, Eiffel Tower, the Coliseum, Christ the Redeemer statue, Buckingham Palace, Beijing’s Olympic Stadium and many more world-famous landmarks have joined the global community in showing leadership on a resolution to climate change.
The recently released Earth Hour 2010 video, viewed at www.earthhour.org.au, provides a powerful and inspiring montage of the world’s most recognised landmarks contributing to the greatest display of civil action the world has ever witnessed.
More information
Kirsten Hodgon, Communications Director, Earth Hour Global Tel: +61 (0) 424 507 095 E: [email protected]
Note
Images of landmarks switching off for Earth Hour 2009 can be found at the Earth Hour Media Centre on www.earthhour.org.au.
The C40 Climate Leadership Group is a group of the worldâs largest cities committed to tackling climate change. They state on their website that cities are responsible for up to 75% of the worldâs greenhouse gas emmissions: http://www.c40cities.org/climatechange.jsp.