Earth Hour is back again and for the fifth year people will turn off their lights to conserve energy.
People mark the moment by switching off their lights for an hour on March 26 every year. Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and over 2,000 businesses turned their off lights for one hour to take a stand against climate change.
From across the Pacific, to Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, iconic landmarks such as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, New York's Empire State building and the Eiffel Tower in Paris will go dark.
"Earth Hour is like a New Year's Eve," Earth Hour co-founder and executive director Andy Ridley told AFP from the group's Sydney office.
"It's meant to be a celebration -- it's a bit different this year because of the Japan stuff -- but it's meant to be about hope and the future."
2010 was the biggest Earth Hour yet, with a record 128 countries and territories participating. Organizers hope 2011 garners a record number of participants.
"It is much more than energy saving. It is about making a statement for the cause of earth," World Wild Life (WWF) Director General Jim Leape said Thursday to AFP.
