Canadians snuff out lights to usher in Earth Hour 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009Last Updated: Saturday, March 28, 2009 | 8:19 PM ET Comments263Recommend118
CBC News
Canadians eager to draw attention to climate change joined people from Beijing to Paris in turning off their lights on Saturday during the second annual Earth Hour.
About 250 people gathered in Halifax's Grand Parade to watch Mayor Peter Kelly flip off the town hall's lights at 8:30 p.m. AT.
The World Wildlife Fund is encouraging people to shut off non-essential lights — or at the very least dim them — from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time.
Kelly admitted he was a little disappointed that nearby office buildings left their lights on.
"We had thought everybody would be part of this process, and unfortunately, they are not," he said, gesturing to a nearby office tower where many lights remained on.
However, Kelly said, when cities turn off the lights in municipal buildings it "engages the citizens" and helps people feel they're part of a change in energy use across the globe.
Events planned across country
More than 250 municipalities across Canada have pledged support, and almost 70 public events are planned, World Wildlife Fund Canada said.
A recent survey suggested 81 per cent of Canadians were expected to turn off their lights for the hour, the group said.
"Turning off our lights for an hour isn't going to solve climate change, but what it does do is show individuals that they can make a difference in the fight against global warming and sends a really strong message to world leaders that action is needed now," said Tara Wood of WWF Canada.
The conservation organization's offices in Sydney, Australia, introduced Earth Hour to raise awareness of climate change.
Nearly 4,000 municipalities in 88 countries were expected to take part, the WWF said. Last year, only 400 cities participated; Sydney held a solo event in 2007.
A number of key landmarks will fade to black, including Toronto's CN Tower, New York's Empire State Building, and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.
Renowned landmarks go dark
Australia's famed Opera House dimmed Saturday as Sydney became the first major city to plunge itself into darkness.
China participated for the first time, cutting the lights at Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium and Water Cube, the most prominent 2008 Olympic venues.
In Egypt, the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx were darkened.
In Greece, floodlights at the Acropolis in Athens were switched off and an outdoor concert was staged on an adjacent hill, which many Athenians approached in a candlelight procession.
In Paris, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral were among 200 monuments and buildings that went dark. The Eiffel Tower, however, only extinguished its lights for five minutes for security reasons as visitors were on the tower, WWF France spokesman Pierre Chasseray said.
