Chicago: From an Antarctic research base and the Great Pyramids of Egypt to the Empire State Building in New York and the Sears Tower in Chicago, illuminated patches of the globe went dark on Saturday for Earth Hour, a campaign to highlight the threat of climate change.
Time zone by time zone, nearly 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries joined the event sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund to dim nonessential lights from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm. The campaign began in Australia in 2007 and last year grew to 400 cities worldwide.
Organizers initially worried enthusiasm this year would wane with the world focused on the global economic crisis, said Earth Hour executive director Andy Ridley. But he said it apparently had the opposite effect.
Image: An Indonesian family sits near candles as lights are turned off during a candlelight vigil marking Earth Hour at the main business district in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 28, 2009.
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