As a sign of climate protection, the lights went out last night at numerous sights. As part of the worldwide campaign „Earth Hour“, organized by the conservation organization WWF, the landmarks were plunged into darkness from 8.30 pm onwards. In Austria, the most important sights were obscured in the nine provincial capitals. For example, Schönbrunn Palace was in Vienna. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen supported „Earth Hour“ this year.
This is the 13th time that cities, businesses and private individuals around the world turn off the lights for an hour to signal the importance of protecting the environment. The „Earth Hour“ wanders slowly around the globe: in each time zone, the lighting goes out at 20.30 local time and is switched on again only one hour later.
The Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge of the Australian metropolis were among the first buildings to run out of lights. In Hong Kong the lights went out at Victoria Harbor, in Singapore the entire skyline was darkened. The lights went out at the Paris Eiffel Tower, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Acropolis in Athens and the Kremlin in Moscow. In Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate was darkened. Instead, an installation of small solar lamps shone in front of the building, representing the five continents.
