SYDNEY, March 28 (UPI) -- Sydney's civic landmarks were plunged into darkness Saturday night as Australian officials turned off the lights to mark Earth Hour, observers said.
In an effort to bring attention to global warming and climate change, lights illuminating such Sydney landmarks including as the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and the Anzac Bridge were switched off, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The lights at those and other well-known sites were powered down at 8:30 p.m., accompanied by ferries at Sydney's Circular Quay blowing their horns to mark the start of Earth Hour, the newspaper said. Also going dark were the city's high-rise buildings and tens of thousands of private homes and businesses.
It is the third Earth Hour event, which originated in Sydney in 2007. Organizers say they hope the awareness campaign, which began with around 2 million people taking part, will this year see more with 1 billion people taking part worldwide.
