The Latest: World cities turn off lights to mark Earth Hour
PARIS (AP) — The Latest on Earth Hour (all times local):
8:30 p.m.
The City of Lights has turned off the Eiffel Tower’s nightly twinkle to mark Earth Hour, a worldwide campaign to urge more action against climate change.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo dimmed the lights Saturday on the city’s most famous monument for an hour starting at 8:30 p.m. (1930 GMT). The tower’s lights normally dominate the Paris skyline after dusk, but are dimmed for major world tragedies and events like Earth Hour.
French President Emmanuel Macron has campaigned to “Make Our Planet Great Again,” but has faced criticism from those who say his efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions hurt the poor and others who say that his climate policies aren’t ambitious enough.
Earth Hour events have spread to more than 180 countries since the movement started in 2007.
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8:30 p.m.
Top tourist sites in coal-reliant Poland are turning off their lights at 8:30 p.m. in solidarity with global Earth Hour action calling for better climate protections.
In Poland’s capital city, Warsaw, the spired landmark Palace of Culture and Science was turning off its night illumination, along with some churches and Old Town walls, all popular tourist venues.
In the southern renaissance city of Krakow, which sees millions of tourists from around the world each year, the central vaulted Cloth Market and the 14th-century red brick St. Mary’s Basilica al turned off its lights.
The Earth Hour gesture calls for greater awareness and more sparing use of resources, especially fossil fuels that produce carbon gasses and lead to global warming.
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3:30 p.m.
Cities around the world were marking Earth Hour on Saturday night by turning off the lights in a call for global action on climate change.
In Hong Kong, major buildings along Victoria Harbour turned off their non-essential lights at 8:30 p.m., and the city’s popular tourist attraction known as the Symphony of Lights was canceled.
Over 3,000 corporations in Hong Kong signed up for Earth Hour 2019, according to the WWF Hong Kong website. Iconic skyscrapers including the Bank of China Tower and the HSBC Building in Central, the city’s major business district, switched off their lights in response to the global movement.
In Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, the island’s tallest building, Taipei 101, joined surrounding buildings in shutting off the lights as part of the Earth Hour event.
Beginning in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour has spread to more than 180 countries, with tens of millions of people joining in.
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