Landmarks Plunge into Darkness as World Switches-off

New Delhi and Mumbai joined major cities and global landmarks that plunged into darkness as millions of people switched off lights for an hour, marking their protest against climate change.

In the national capital lights were switched off at shops, hotels, the Red Fort, the Humayun Tomb and several other important buildings.

In Mumbai, Mayor Shraddha Jadhav led thousands of youth in a candle light procession that commenced at her residence in the Shivaji Park area of the city.

This year’s symbolic one-hour switch-off – now an annual global event – is expected to be the biggest so far.

In Sydney, the famed Habour Bridge and Opera House plunged into darkness for what activists say could be a ray of hope for mankind as more and more people join the switch off with each passing year.

The energy-saving event is supported by 4,000 cities in a record 125 countries and includes 1,200 landmarks from the Forbidden City to Egypt’s pyramids and the Las Vegas Strip.

Beijing’s Forbidden City and Bird’s Nest Stadium were among the participants along with other Chinese cities.

Office buildings in Hong Kong, Jakarta, Seoul and Tokyo remained dimmed.
In Hiroshima, lights across 30 sites, including the peace memorial, remained switched-off.

In Europe, London’s Big Ben and Manchester United’s Old Trafford football ground were set to take part, along with Paris’s Notre Dame cathedral and the Trevi Fountain in Rome.

In America, some 30 states will join in, with Mount Rushmore, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and Chicago’s 110-storey Sears Tower all due to go dark.

The Earth Hour initiative was started in Sydney in 2007 by activists keen to cut energy use.

Based on Media Reports