Worldwide switch off to fight climate change.

Twenty four cities around the world, have announced that they will be taking part in ‘Earth Hour’ on March 29. This will involve as many as 30 million people sending off TVs and lights in a demonstration against climate change, this according to environmental activists WWF.

The concept of ‘Earth Hour’ began in 2007 in Sydney Australia, where over 2 million residents turned of their power for one hour to protest global climate change, in 2008, the protest has spread across the world, with cities as diverse as Bangkok, Ottawa, Dublin, Phoenix and San Francisco taking part.

Other cities that have signed up include big city Manila and tiny Suva in Fiji, Christchurch, Aalborg, Chicago and Tel Aviv are also committed to the project. Andrew Ridley, from Earth Hour said: “If we see the same participation levels around the globe that we did in Sydney, then we can anticipate more than 30 million people involved,”

Residents in the city’s participating in Earth Hour will switch off all non-essential electrical components from 8 to 9pm, to show their support for action against carbon emissions and global warming.

During the 2007 Australian event, Sydney’s restaurants and bars switched off lights and lit candles, the city itself plunged its landmarks Opera House and the Harbour Bridge into darkness.

For 2008 all participating cities will take the same action, switching off all illumination of world renowned iconic structures such as, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Sears Tower in Chicago.

Last year’s event just in Sydney cut Australia’s energy consumption by 10.2%