EARTH HOUR

Mon 22 December 2008 | 4:08 p.m.

CITIES SIGN UP TO SWITCH OFF FOR EARTH HOUR 2009

- 168 cities commit to Earth Hour 2009 since launch

- 6 additional national capitals pledge their support for ‘lights out’ campaign

- Scotland joins the growing list of countries promising to flick the switch

December 19, 2008: Within a week of its launch, Earth Hour 2009 has experienced an outstanding groundswell of support with the number of cities committed to the campaign increasing by around 230 per cent. The WWF initiative that addresses the issue of climate change now has a staggering 242 cities - up from 74 a week ago - across 63 countries pledging their involvement in the ‘lights out’ campaign taking place between 8.30pm – 9.30pm on 28 March, 2009.

The new additions to the list of cities participating in Earth Hour 2009 span the globe; from South America, to Europe, to Asia, to the South Pacific, including national capitals Beijing in China, Edinburgh in Scotland, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Kiev in the Ukraine, Bogota in Columbia and Wellington in New Zealand.

The lights out initiative, which began in Sydney in 2007 as a public awareness raising campaign on climate change, has grown significantly over the past two years and already has cities such as Shanghai, Helsinki, Chicago, London, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Guatemala City, Auckland, Venice, Abu Dhabi, Vancouver, Gothenburg, Amman and Cape Town pledging their involvement in the 2009 campaign.

The global surge of enthusiasm already shown for Earth Hour 2009 suggests it will be one of the most widely celebrated events in the New Year.

Earth Hour organisers hope more cities will sign on to the campaign in early 2009. Executive Director of Earth Hour Global, Mr Andy Ridley said, "With almost half the world’s population living in cities, it is no wonder that cities are often the leaders when dealing with important issues. We hope many more cities, towns, municipalities and villages will sign up and lend their voice to the campaign."

Wed 10 December 2008 | 12:55 a.m.

WWF’s Earth Hour Sparks Worldwide Unity

74 Cities in 62 countries have committed to Earth Hour 2009. Nations are now seeing the global economic downturn as an opportunity to steer their economies toward safer sustainable futures. The campaign, which hopes to reach one billion people in 1 000 cities around the world, asks individuals , businesses and governments to switch off lights for just one hour on Saturday March 28 at 8.30pm - to create a platform of support for climate change.

Cities committed for Earth Hour include Moscow, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, London, Hong Kong, Sydney, Rome, Manila, Oslo, Cape Town, Warsaw, Lisbon, Singapore, Istanbul, Mexico City, Toronto, Dubai and Copenhagen.

Earth Hour 2009, will witness some of the most recognisable landmarks on the planet extinguish their lights in support of decisive action on global warming. Icons switching off include -the world’s tallest hotel building – the Burj Dubai; the tallest free standing structure in the Americas – the CN Tower in Toronto; Moscow’s Federation Tower; and in Rome – Quirinale – the Italian President’s official residence. In the southern hemisphere – its tallest tower Auckland’s Sky Tower will go dark, as will the iconic sails of the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and South Africa’s flood lit Table Mountain.

Earth Hour sends your message to world leaders meeting in Copenhagen for the Conference on Climate Change in 2009. Executive Director of Earth Hour Global, Andy Ridley, said, “ 2009 is the year we decide the future of the earth. It is the year the world finally agrees on a plan to massively reduce carbon emissions across the globe. This is the time to invest in new ways of doing business in a new low carbon economy. We must all step over the line together. The sum of our actions today can change history and secure the future of our planet. “

Register your support online at earthhour.org

Tue 09 December 2008 | 2:58 p.m.

74 Cities in 62 Countries

Adelaide (Australia), Brisbane (Australia), Canberra (Australia), Darwin (Australia), Hobart (Australia), Melbourne (Australia), Perth (Australia), Sydney (Australia), Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia), Sofia (Bulgaria), Toronto (Canada), Hong Kong (China region), San Jose (Costa Rica), Aalborg (Denmark), Copenhagen (Denmark), Odense (Denmark), Ponphei (Fed. States of Micronesia), Suva (Fiji), Espoo (Finland), Helsinki (Finland), Guatemala City (Guatemala), Bologna (Italy), Florence (Italy), Milan (Italy), Naples (Italy), Palermo (Italy), Rome (Italy), Turin (Italy), Venice (Italy), Amman (Jordan), Mexico City (Mexico), Auckland (New Zealand), Christchurch (New Zealand), Hamilton (New Zealand), Oslo (Norway), Tromso (Norway), Trondheim (Norway), Manila (Phillipines), Gdansk (Poland), Lodz (Poland), Poznan (Poland), Torun (Poland), Warsaw (Poland), Lisbon (Portugal), Moscow (Russia), Petropalovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia), Singapore City (Singapore), Cape Town (South Africa), Ekero (Sweden), Gothenberg (Sweden), Kalmar (Sweden), Kiruna (Sweden), Lilla Edet (Sweden), Malmö (Sweden), Mullsjo (Sweden), Nassjo (Sweden), Norrkoping (Sweden), Orebro (Sweden), Sodertalje (Sweden), Ulricehamn (Sweden), Vaxjo (Sweden), Ystad (Sweden), Istanbul (Turkey), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Dubai (UAE), Fujairah (UAE), Sharjah (UAE), London (UK), Chicago (USA), Las Vegas (USA), Los Angeles (USA), San Francisco (USA), Miami (USA), Nashville (USA)

Mon 08 December 2008 | 5:51 p.m.

Thanks for supporting Earth Hour, this website will be updated in the coming weeks and months with information and resources for how you can get involved in the Earth Hour campaign in 2009, please bookmark us and don't forget to visit again!