Sydney blackout puts spotlight on global warming

2 hours, 34 minutes ago

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.