The bright green lights that typically illuminate the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur—the tallest twin buildings in the world—were turned off on Saturday for Earth Hour, an annual event aimed at raising awareness about energy consumption.
Dozens of other iconic landmarks around the world, including the Parthenon in Greece, the Golden Gate Bridge in California and Australia's Sydney Harbor Bridge, participated in the event, sponsored by WWF.
The first Earth Hour took place in Sydney eight years ago to raise money for the Great Barrier Reef.
This year was expected to be the biggest event yet, with participants in an estimated 7,000 cities around the world switching off their lights for a full hour, according to WWF.
PHOTOGRAPH BY KOSTAS TSIRONIS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Acropolis
Dating to 447 B.C., the Parthenon in Athens is one of the most famous surviving buildings of ancient Greece. The city of Athens turned off its buildings' lights for Earth Hour and asked locals to follow suit.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLIAM WEST/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Sydney
Sydney Harbor Bridge is the largest steel arch bridge in the world, connecting its city's north and south harbors. Thousands of houses and businesses in Sydney were dark on Saturday.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ETIENNE LAURENT, EPA
Eiffel Tower
Built as an archway for the 1889 World's Fair in 1889, the Eiffel Tower got some help from Spiderman in turning its lights off on Saturday
PHOTOGRAPH BY EDUARDO MUNOZ, REUTERS
The Big Apple
Times Square is Sydney Harbor Bridge is the largest steel arch bridge in the world, connecting its city's north and south harbors. Thousands of houses and businesses in Sydney were dark on Saturday. the busiest commercial intersection in New York City and the world's most visited tourist attraction. For the first time ever, the city called in a specialist to turn off its New Year's Eve ball, which typically remains on throughout the year.
PHOTOGRAPH BY SERGEI GAPON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Minsk, Belarus
In the Belarusian capital of Minsk, the monument to humanist Francysk Skaryna is normally lit by the bright purple lights from the National Library. Big department stores and universities also shut their lights in Minsk on Saturday.
PHOTOGRAPH BY SOEREN STACHE, PICTURE-ALLIANCE/DPA VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate was built in 1791 as an entryway to Berlin. It survived World War II but endured extensive damage. The Earth Hour motto in Germany this year: "You don't need to be a superhero to take action on climate change."
PHOTOGRAPH BY JESUS OCHANDO, EPA
The Alhambra
The Alhambra, a fortress-turned-palace that dates to 1258, watches over the city of Granada in southern Spain.
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