New Zealand goes dark as worldwide Earth Hour begins
The lights were turned off at monuments in New Zealand as the Pacific nation kicked off its worldwide Earth Hour event.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the global movement encourages countries to turn off their lights for an hour to draw attention to the problems of nature loss and climate change.
Auckland monuments and Wellington parliament buildings, including the Sky Tower and Harbor Bridge, were plunged into darkness on Saturday night.
Throughout the night, other monuments around the world, including the Empire State Building in New York and the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, will turn off their lights in solidarity.
WWF Germany’s climate chief Viviane Raddatz said that people care about protecting the environment.
“Currently, the climate crisis is repeatedly pushed to the background in the face of many global challenges. But it is not going away. On the contrary, it is exacerbating many of these crises,” he said.
“With Earth Hour, we are bringing climate action back to the public agenda. We are making it visible. People care about this issue and it is at the top of the political agenda.”
Supporters are invited to “Give an hour for the Earth” by spending 60 minutes doing something positive for the planet.
More than three million hours have been committed in 2025, with participation from more than 118 countries and territories, WWF International said.
