Bring on the global blackout!

EVERYWHERE, Planet Earth – Something monumentally cool is scheduled to happen at 8pm on March 29.

Simply dubbed Earth Hour, this global event will see 24 major cities across the world participate in turning off the lights for an entire hour to help highlight the need to combat global warming.

At the moment 264,668 people and 19,196 businesses, have signed up to the event – Nokia will power down Nokia House in Espoo, Finland along with a bunch of other selected office sites. And the overall impact, while fleeting, kicks out remarkable figures. You’ve just got to look at last year’s event in Sydney that sparked the idea of holding an annual Earth Hour event:

“On March 31 2007, for one hour, Sydney made a powerful statement about the greatest contributor to global warming ‚Äì coal-fired electricity ‚Äì by turning off its lights. Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world.”

Are you planning to take part in Earth Hour? Do you reckon this event can really help to make a difference?

Photo from Liel Bomberg