On March 19, iconic landmarks and skylines were plunged into darkness as people and businesses around the world participated in Earth Hour 2016, turning off their lights for an hour at 8:30 p.m. local time. Earth Hour was organized by the World Wildlife Fund in 2007 as a way to bring attention to energy consumption, sustainability, and climate-change issues. The images below (starting with photo number two) are interactive—click or tap on on each image to “turn off the lights.”
Turning Off the Lights: Earth Hour 2016
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This combination of pictures created on March 19, 2016, shows the Marina Bay Sands hotel and resort before (left) and during Earth Hour in Singapore. Millions of people from 178 countries and territories took part in WWF's Earth Hour this year. #
Roslan Rahman / AFP / Getty -
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A before-and-after pair of images shows the Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site, before and (click or tap to view) during Earth Hour in Cologne, Germany, on March 19, 2016. [Click or tap the image to view transition.] #
Wolfgang Rattay / Reuters -
A pair of photographs show the financial district of Pudong before and (click or tap to view) during Earth Hour in Shanghai, China, on March 19, 2016. [Click or tap the image to view transition.] #
Aly Song / Reuters -
A general view of central Tokyo with the illuminated Tokyo Tower at the center is seen before and (click or tap to view) during Earth Hour, in Japan, on March 19, 2016. [Click or tap the image to view transition.] #
Thomas Peter / Reuters -
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Photographs show the lights of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge before and (click or tap to view) after they were switched off for Earth Hour in Sydney, Australia, on March 19, 2016. [Click or tap the image to view transition.] #
David Gray / Reuters -
The Petronas towers before and (click or tap to view) after the lights were switched off during the Earth Hour campaign in Kuala Lumpur on March 19, 2016. [Click or tap the image to view transition.] #
Mohd Rasfan / AFP / Getty -
Before and (click or tap to view) after lighting is switched off to mark Earth Hour, in front of St. Basil Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on March 19, 2016. [Click or tap the image to view transition.] #
Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP -
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The Eiffel Tower in Paris before and (click or tap to view) after it went dark for the Earth Hour environmental campaign on March 19, 2016. [Click or tap the image to view transition.] #
Ludovic Marin / AFP / Getty -
The skyline of the Central Business District before and (click or tap to view) after lights were turned off during Earth Hour in Singapore on March 19, 2016. [Click or tap the image to view transition.] #
Edgar Su / Reuters -
The Grand Palace before and (click or tap to view) during Earth Hour in Bangkok on March 19, 2016. [Click or tap the image to view transition.] #
Jorge Silva / Reuters -
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The Kremlin towers and wall, the GUM department store, and the St. Basil's Cathedral before Earth Hour and (click or tap to view) after their lights were switched off in central Moscow, Russia, on March 19, 2016. [Click or tap the image to view transition.] #
Maxim Zmeyev / Reuters -
Photos taken on March 19, 2016 show the Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) lit and (click or tap to view) with lights turned off during Earth Hour in Bangkok. [Click or tap the image to view transition.] #
Christophe Archambault / AFP / Getty -
The Biyong Palace inside the Guozijian Imperial Academy is shown before and (click or tap to view) after having its lighting switched off to mark Earth Hour in Beijing on March 19, 2016. [Click or tap the image to view transition.] #
Mark Schiefelbein / AP -
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The Marina Bay Sands hotel and resort before and (click or tap to view) during the Earth Hour campaign in Singapore on March 19, 2016. [Click or tap the image to view transition.] #
Roslan Rahman / AFP / Getty
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