By IANS
Dubai : The city plans to turn off thousands of lights for one hour March 29 as part of the Earth Hour programme initiated by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), WAM news agency reported Wednesday.
The WWF has called on households and businesses around the world to turn off lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour of a March evening in order to promote electricity conservation and lower carbon emissions.
Dubai is the first Arab city to declare its support for the Earth Hour.
The initiative is supported by the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (DEWA), Dubai Holding Operations, Dubai municipality and Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
“We are asking everyone in Dubai to switch off all non-essential lights for one hour from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. March 29, to send a message around the world that by working together we can make a difference in the fight against global warming”, said Fadel Ali, executive chairman Dubai Holding Operations.
“Earth Hour is all about people sharing responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions”, said Kamal Dimachkie of Leo Burnett, the agency behind the Earth Hour concept.
The first Earth Hour was held in Sydney, Australia March 31 2007 from 7.30 to 8.30 p.m.