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Icons of civilization go dark for global Earth Hour initiative

From the Sydney Opera House to Rome's Colosseum to the Sears Tower's famous antennas in Chicago and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, floodlit icons of civilization went dark for Earth Hour, a worldwide campaign to highlight the threat of climate change.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) urged governments, businesses and households to turn back to candle power for at least 60 minutes starting at 8pm on Saturday wherever they were.

The campaign began last year in Australia and traveled this year from the South Pacific to Europe to North America in cadence with the setting of the sun.

"What's amazing is that it's transcending political boundaries and happening in places like China, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea," said Andy Ridley, executive director of Earth Hour.

Earth Hour officials hoped 100 million people would turn off their nonessential lights and electronic goods for the hour. Electricity plants produce greenhouse gases that cause climate change.

In Chicago, lights on more than 200 downtown buildings were dimmed on Saturday night.

In Sydney -- where an estimated 2.2 million observed the blackout last year -- the city's two architectural icons, the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, faded to black.

Lights also went out at Bangkok's famed Wat Arun; cultural centers in Manila; castles in Sweden and Denmark; the parliament building in Budapest; and at London City Hall.

On the isle of Aegina, near Athens, much of its population marched by candlelight to the port.

In Ireland, lights-out orders went out for government buildings, bridges and monuments.

But Dublin's financial district blazed away.

Ireland's more than 7,000 pubs elected not to take part in the campaign -- in part because of the risk that Saturday night revelers could end up smashing glasses, falling down stairs or setting themselves on fire with candles.
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