Earth Hour: Lights switched off across planet from Samoa and Hong Kong to Buckingham Palace
Over 7,000 cities in more than 170 countries and millions of people took part in global switch-off event
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Your support makes all the difference.Lights at landmarks, businesses and homes were switched off for Earth Hour on Saturday.
The annual event aims to highlight the impact humans have on the planet due to climate change, pollution, plastic and food production.
Over 7,000 cities in more than 170 countries took part in 2019.
Organisers at conservation charity WWF said they hoped the event would send a message to international leaders that protecting the Earth should be top of their agenda.
Proceedings kicked off this year in the Pacific island nation of Samoa at 8:30pm local time.
The event has since swept across Australia, Asia and Europe.
Earth Hour events have spread to more than 180 countries since the movement started in 2007.
Activists at events on Saturday called for greater awareness and more sparing use of resources, especially fossil fuels that produce carbon gasses and lead to global warming.
WWF said that people living today were the first generation to experience the effects of climate change, and the last to be able to change it, while the planet is also suffering plastic pollution and deforestation.
The charity encouraged people to pledge personal actions as part of this year’s Earth Hour, such as turning the washing machine down to 30C, avoiding single-use plastics, planning a staycation or holiday nearer to home, changing the way they eat or helping restore nature in their local area.
If you would like to see how Earth Hour 2019 unfolded, please see what was our live coverage below:
Earth Hour kicked off this year long before many people's days had begun, in the Pacific island nation of Samoa
Australia was among the first places to switch of for Earth Hour - the iconic Sydney Opera House was among the landmarks with it's lights off
Earth Hour has already swept across the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, and now it has moved onto Indonesia.
This photo shows a before and after view of the Marina Bay Sands hotel and resort during Earth Hour Singapore (AFP)
Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong before and after the switch off for Earth Hour (AFP)
If you want the lowdown on what Earth Hour is all about and some of the major landmarks that will be participating this year, check this piece out:
Not everywhere is getting into the spirit of the occasion, it seems...
As the event has swept across East Asia, major landmarks including Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour and Taipei 101 in Taiwan had their lights turned off.
Other big landmarks across the world switching off their lights will include:
Big Ben and Houses of Parliament, London
Eiffel Tower, Paris
Pyramids of Egypt
Empire State Building, New York
Colosseum, Rome
Acropolis, Athens
Girls in East Java province, Indonesia celebrated Earth Hour (Juni Kriswanto/AFP)
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