Cities around the world turn off lights to mark Earth Hour
Cities around the world — including some in Minnesota — are marking Earth Hour on Saturday night by turning off the lights in a call for global action on climate change.
In Hong Kong, major buildings along Victoria Harbour turned off their non-essential lights at 8:30 p.m. local time, and the city's popular tourist attraction known as the Symphony of Lights was canceled.
More than 3,000 corporations in Hong Kong signed up for Earth Hour 2019, according to the WWF Hong Kong website. Iconic skyscrapers including the Bank of China Tower and the HSBC Building in Central, the city's major business district, switched off their lights in response to the global movement.
In Taipei, Taiwan's capital, the island's tallest building, Taipei 101, joined surrounding buildings in shutting off the lights as part of the Earth Hour event.
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Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo dimmed the lights of the Eiffel Tower for an hour. The tower's lights normally dominate the city skyline after dusk, but are dimmed in the wake of major world tragedies and for events such as Earth Hour.
Beginning in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour has spread to more than 180 countries, with tens of millions of people joining in.
Exterior and ornamental lights at the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul will be turned off from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday in observance of Earth Hour. Officials said security and sidewalk lighting will remain on.
"By turning off the Capitol's exterior lights for an hour, our goal is to call attention to energy use," Alice Roberts-Davis, commissioner of the state Department of Administration, said in a news release. "It reminds us that energy use cannot be taken for granted, and that our actions today help us prepare a more sustainable future."
The city of Minneapolis issued a call for its residents and businesses to take part in Earth Hour by switching off lights for an hour starting at 8:30 p.m., and the city of Rochester announced it will turn off the lights on the dome at City Hall for the hour.
MPR News contributed to this report.