Sydney, Australia’s largest city, has a foreshadowing, anti-celebration, for climate change.
Throughout the city of about 4 million people, residents turned off the lights for one hour in an event organized by environmentalists and supported by Sydney city officials, the New South Wales state government and thousands of businesses.
Restaurants throughout the city announced candlelight-only specials, and families gathered in parks and other public places to take part in a countdown to lights out, sending up a cheer when the switch was flicked at 7:30 p.m. local time.
Saturday’s event kicked off a campaign to encourage Sydney residents to conserve energy by turning off lights, computers and other electrical equipment when they’re not being used — steps that could cut Sydney’s greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent a year.