The United Nations turns off lights in Earth Hour

The United Nations headquarters in New York and offices around the world will participate in 'Earth Hour' event tomorrow to demonstrate the planet's largest organization commitment to combating climate change. .

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.Photo: Xinhua.

The United Nations Department of Information announced that, along with many famous landmarks on the planet, the organization will turn off lights at its headquarters in New York City, the US and facilities around the world.

Earth Hour is an annual international event launched by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). WWF urges people and organizations to turn off the lights for one hour from 8:30 am to 9:30 am (local time) on the last Saturday of March every year. Earth Hour 2010 takes place tomorrow.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Earth Hour warned people about the dangers of climate change, but also brought hope.

'By turning off unnecessary light bulbs in an hour, people will participate in an iconic action. This action can make a change that we desperately need.

While watching the bulbs turn off on continents, let us think about the fragility and importance of natural heritage. Let us commit ourselves to protecting it for a sustainable future for all humanity , 'he said.

The head of the United Nations stressed that the message of Earth Hour is very simple and that climate change should be a concern for everyone.

'Solutions are at our fingertips. Every individual, community, company and government across the planet can do it , 'he commented.

Earth Hour organizers said that in 2009 hundreds of millions of people in 4,088 cities and towns in 88 countries participated in the event. They hope more than a billion people in more than 6,000 cities will turn off lights this year.

Vietnam organized Earth Hour for the first time in 2009.