São Paulo – On the 28th of March, at 8:30 pm, the lights of sites like the Christ Redeemer, the coast of Copacabana and Flamengo Park, in Rio de Janeiro, are gong to go out. The same will happen to the lights of streets and buildings in Amman, Jordan, and Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah and Sharjah, in the Emirates, which will be put out for one hour. Brazilian and Arab cities have confirmed participation in the Earth Hour, a symbolic event in which the lights of several sites in the world will be put out to show the concern with the environment.
According to information disclosed by the non-governmental organisation WWF, which is promoting the event, over 170 cities in 62 countries have already confirmed their participation. The intention is to call attention to global warming and to climate change. Governments, companies, associations and the population as a whole are being invited by the NGO, which is international but is headquartered in Brazil, to turn out the lights of their homes, monuments and public buildings.
Large cities worldwide, among them London, Moscow, Rome, Singapore, Sydney, Las Vegas, Brussels and Cape Town have already agreed to participate in the event. This should cause icons like the Opera House, in Sydney, Australia, CN Tower, in Canada, Millennium Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, and Taipei 101 building, in Taiwan, to turn their lights out for an hour.
Last year, 400 cities in 35 countries participated in the event. " Earth Hour 2009 is setting the platform for an unprecedented global mandate for action on climate change," said WWF secretary general James Leape. The act took place for the first time in 2007, with the participation of 2.2 million Australians. One year later, in 2008, 50 million people participated.
This is the first time that a Brazilian city participates. WWF has been operating in the country since 1971 and is locally headquartered in Brasília. The objective of the NGO is to work for preservation of nature. The organisation’s Brazilian branch participates in global actions, and it is present in over 100 countries. Since 1985, WWF has invested in over 11,000 projects in 135 countries.
*Translated by Mark Ament
