UAE: Lights off at major landmarks for Earth Hour – News

Volunteers count down the lights to go out at Terra Sustainability Pavilion in Dubai Expo City

Major landmarks, communities and individual homes across the UAE switched off their lights to take part in Earth Hour 2023’s global campaign.

In Dubai Expo City, several volunteers counted down the clock to 8.30pm when the lights of the Terra Sustainability Pavilion went out.

Previously, people had gathered in the main hall of the Terra Pavilion before heading to the front of the pavilion to pose for photos. The event was hosted by Emirates Nature-WWF. Arabella from the organization spoke about the importance of the initiative to the environment.

Elsewhere in the city, Dubai Holding Asset Management residential communities such as Bluewaters, City Walk, Al Khail Gate, Shorouq, Ghoroob and Layan switched off non-essential lights to mark Earth Hour.

Dubai Green Planet, the only indoor rainforest bio-arium in the Middle East, is also joining the movement.

Since its launch in 2007, Earth Hour has become known as a “lights out” moment, when people around the globe turn off their lights to symbolically support the planet and raise awareness of environmental issues affecting it. The grassroots movement encourages individuals, communities and businesses to switch off lights and other non-essential appliances for an hour.

Dubai Astronomy Group took the opportunity to organize a stargazing event in Dubai’s Al Qudra Desert, which included iftar under the stars, as well as sky mapping and astrophotography sessions.