UN headquarters goes dark to mark Earth Hour

The United Nations turned off the lights of its headquarters complex for one hour on Saturday night in observance of the Earth Hour, an annual global event to raise awareness on climate change and to promote sustainable energy consumption.

Joining individuals, communities, businesses and landmarks in more than 7,000 cities and 172 countries in this symbolic show of support for people and planet, the UN headquarters went dark at 8:30 p.m. local time.

In a video message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "the Earth Hour shows what is possible when we unite in support of a cause: no individual action is too small, no collective vision is too big. This is the time to use your power."

"Climate change is a people problem. People cause climate change and people suffer from climate change. People can also solve climate change," he said.

The UN chief noted that the symbolic switching-off in homes, businesses and landmarks holds more significance than ever, just nine months before a pivotal UN meeting on the climate crisis.

"This December in Paris, the United Nations is bringing nations together for a new universal and meaningful climate agreement. It will be the culmination of a year of actions on sustainable development," he said.

Ban also highlighted that the Earth Hour lights off event draws attention to the need to provide clean energy to more than one billion people who still lack access to electricity.

Organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Earth Hour encourages individuals, companies, organizations and governments throughout the world to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the last Saturday in March, as a symbol for their commitment to the planet.

The event also recognizes that everyone's involvement is needed in order to make a collective impact and take accountability for their ecological footprint.

First launched in 2007, the Earth Hour has become an annual event, mobilizing hundreds of millions of individuals to participate and growing to become the world's largest grassroots movement for environment protection. Endi