Sharjah24 – AFP: Cities around the world were turning off their lights Saturday for Earth Hour, with this year's event highlighting the link between the destruction of nature and increasing outbreaks of diseases like Covid-19.
In London, the Houses of Parliament, London Eye ferris wheel, Shard skyscraper and neon signs of Piccadilly Circus were among the landmarks flicking the switches.
In Paris, the three stages of the Eiffel Tour progressively went dark but there were few people to watch with the whole country under a 7 pm Covid-19 curfew.
The giant metal tower has been shut to the public since October 30, due to the pandemic.
In Rome, the lights went out at Rome’s 2,000-year-old Colosseum, while police enforcing Italy’s coronavirus movement restrictions checked the papers of a small crowd of onlookers.
Asia had kicked off the event after night fell with the skylines of metropolises from Singapore to Hong Kong going dark, as did landmarks including Sydney Opera House.
The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and Moscow's Kremlin on Red Square also joined the annual initiative that calls for action on climate change and the environment.
After Europe, Earth Hour moves west to the Americas with the Empire State Building in New York, the Obelisk of Buenos Aires and the Rio's Museum of Tomorrow among venues dimming the lights.
For this year organisers said they want to highlight the link between the destruction of the natural world and the increasing incidence of diseases -- such as Covid-19 -- making the leap from animals to humans.
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