Chinese cities dim lights in environmental initiative

A total of 124 Chinese cities joined urban centers around the world in turning off the lights of their landmark buildings on Saturday night, as part of an environmental initiative of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Initiated by the WWF in 2007, the "Earth Hour" project calls on all the people in the world to turn off their lights for a spell on the evening of the last Saturday of March every year, to promote energy-saving and sustainable development.

At 8:30 p.m., the lights were turned out at major sites in Beijing, like the Great Wall at Badaling, the Water Cube and the National Stadium, placing the city among 5,000 urban centers in more than 140 countries to take part in Earth Hour.

In Shanghai, lights were shut off at the municipal and district government offices and major buildings at the city center's Renmin Square during the one-hour period.

Meanwhile, five main structures of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo park entered darkness, marking the first time that world expo facilities joined the Earth Hour project.

Also in some cities, many residents turned off lights.

"After seeing a poster promoting Earth Hour inside the elevator, our family decided to switch off the lights for an hour," said a woman, surnamed Zhang, in the southwestern city of Chengdu.

"I want our child to bear in mind the concept of environmental protection and low carbon at a young age," she explained.

Universities in Chengdu and the northern city of Taiyuan switched off the lights and many students instead joined in mass walks or participated in art performances.

"This is not for show. These activities are designed to boost awareness of energy-saving and environmental protection," said Li Huiquan, an architecture major at Taiyuan University of Technology.

The 124 Chinese cities that joined the project this year have also declared their commitment to environmental protection.

More than 1,400 enterprises around the country have also registered for the Earth Hour project.

Taipei also joined cities worldwide Saturday in marking "Earth Hour" by turning off non-essential lights on landmark buildings for one hour.

Lights were dimmed on the Taipei 101 skyscraper, the Grand Hotel and the Taipei Arena, among other buildings and public venues, from 8:30 p.m. local time. The move was part of the global campaign that aims to promote public awareness of the need to take action on climate change.

2012 marks the third straight year for that Taiwan has observed Earth Hour. Society of Wildness (SOW), a Taiwan-based advocate for carbon emission reduction, said it estimates participants in the event increased from 300,000 last year to 600,000 this year.

SOW president Lai Jung-hsiao said he hoped the public could cope with problems brought about by climate change through a change in lifestyle.

Taiwan's environmental authorities have pledged to promote eco-friendly awareness in sectors of infrastructure building, agriculture and health.

The lights of many landmarks worldwide -- including New York's Times Square, London's Big Ben clock tower, Paris' Eiffel Tower, Sydney's Opera House and Tokyo Tower -- were dimmed at 8:30 p.m. local time, according to the WWF.

About 2.2 billion residents in 5,200 cities are estimated to be involved into this year's campaign.