Cities around the world turn off their lights to mark Earth Hour events

Cities around the world turned off their lights for an hour on Saturday evening on the occasion of "Earth Hour", which aims to mobilize the ranks in the fight against climate change and the preservation of nature.

As the event kicked off, the lights went out in skyscrapers in Asian cities from Singapore to Hong Kong at 20:30 local time, as well as famous landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House.

Then he drowned in the dark, the Coliseum in Rome and Red Square in Moscow as well as the Brandburg Gate in Berlin and the Palace of Westminster in London as well as the illuminated panels of Piccadilly Circus in the British capital or the Eiffel Tower.

Among the many landmarks involved in the operation were the Cathedral of the Sagrada Familia designed by Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona in northeastern Spain and the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.

Its lights were turned off between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. local time.

"It is wonderful that Parliament is once again participating in Earth Hour, joining other landmarks in the country and the world to raise awareness of climate change," said Lindsay Howell, Speaker of the House of Commons in Britain.

According to the movement of the sun, the next landmarks on the American continent were to turn off the lights, including the obelisk in the center of Buenos Aires and the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, passing through the "BBVA" tower in Mexico.

- “Nature in Free Fall” - The celebration of Earth Hour, an initiative of the World Wide Fund for Nature, aims to push for action to combat climate change and take into account the environment.

This year, the organizers of the event wanted to highlight the link between the destruction of nature and the increase in diseases, such as Covid-19, and their transmission from animals to humans.

Experts believe that human activities such as increasing tree clearing, destruction of animal habitats and climate change are phenomena that exacerbate the increase in diseases, and they warn of new epidemics if measures are not taken to address the matter.

"From declining pollinators, dwindling fish stocks in rivers and oceans, to biting forests and the increasing loss of biodiversity, the evidence is mounting that nature is in free fall," said Marco Lambertini, director general of the WWF, the organizer of the event.

He considered that the reason for this is "the way we live and manage our economies."

"Protecting nature is a moral responsibility on our shoulders, and losing it exacerbates our vulnerability to epidemics, accelerates climate change and threatens our food security," Lambertini said.

In Singapore, pedestrians at the waterfront saw the lights off of skyscrapers, as well as the massive 'Gardens by the Bay' sculptures.

In this park, 18-year-old Ian Tan told AFP that Earth Hour is an event that "goes beyond saving energy, it reminds us of our impact on the environment."

But he was not convinced that Earth Hour, an event that has been taking place since 2007, is having a major impact.

"One hour is not enough to remember that climate change is an actual problem," he said. "I don't really believe that (Earth Hour) is having a big impact."

In Hong Kong, the lights of many skyscrapers dimmed, and in Seoul, the lights of the famous "Namdaemun" Gate were turned off.

In Thailand, a countdown was conducted in the "Central World" mall up to 20:30 hours, after which the external glass façade was turned off for an hour, noting that the lights inside the mall remained on.

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