by Neil Sands
Sat Mar 31, 5:55 PM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia's largest city
was plunged into darkness for an hour Saturday night as Sydney
underwent a self-imposed blackout to raise awareness of global
warming.
Residents and businesses across the city of four million flicked
off the lights for "Earth Hour" at 7:30 pm (0930 GMT).
Tourists had to view the famous Sydney Opera House by moonlight,
while the Harbour Bridge's steel span and the clown's face of the
waterside Luna Park fairground were also blacked out.
The neon on a huge blinking Coca-Cola advertising hoarding in
Sydney's Kings Cross nightclub district flickered off for the first
time since it was installed in 1974.
Restaurants served diners by candlelight and pupils attended
schools for special Earth Hour parties.
The Newtown Hotel, which bills itself as Australia's oldest gay
pub, even organised a special drag show where the audience were
handed mini-torches to light up performers' sequins.
Many of Australia's biggest companies signed up for the event, with
local McDonald's restaurants turning off the "golden arches" for
the occasion.
WWF believes the switch-off could be copied by major cities around
the world in a drive to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions blamed
for climate change.
Oscar-winning Australian actress Cate Blanchett described Earth
Hour as a beginning.
"It's an hour of active, thoughtful darkness, a celebration of our
awakening to climate change action," she said.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which has spent 10 months organising
the event with city authorities and a major newspaper group, said
there had been a massive groundswell of support across the
city.
WWF Australia spokesman Andy Ridley said the city got behind the
initiative.
"It was extraordinary," he said. "The levels of support we had was
huge. Seeing the city in darkness was an amazing sight."
He said the event was aimed at raising awareness about climate
change and showing that an action as simple as turning out a light
could make a difference.
"It's only by joining together that you can make a difference," he
said.
"The world has moved into a time where we see climate change as a
serious risk but we want people to realise that it's not all doom
and gloom, individuals can take action to help address the
problem.
"One of the things about Earth Hour is really to get the issue out
of the scientific and specialist areas and into the
mainstream."
Ridley said WWF hoped to capitalise on the popularity of the event
in the longer term with a campaign to reduce Sydney's greenhouse
gas emissions by five percent over the next year.
Scientists link dangerous global temperature increases to the
greenhouse effect, in which gases emitted by burning fossil fuels
to produce energy trap heat in the atmosphere.
Organisers say there are a number of simple steps people can take
to reduce electricity use, including unplugging appliances such as
televisions, microwave ovens and stereos that are normally left on
standby.
Other suggestions include switching to fluorescent light bulbs -- a
move the Australian government committed to earlier this year --
and using "green" power sources such as solar.
I thought it was a real blackout 