Historic Lincoln Cathedral to switch off lights and 'go dark' for Earth Hour 2017

 

Lincoln Cathedral will 'go dark' in celebration of Earth Hour this Saturday.Andy and Julie Cottington, Lincoln Cathedral/ Facebook

Britain's Lincoln Cathedral will turn off its lights and 'go dark' later this week in a bid to raise awareness of climate change.

The historic church will shut off all its lights 8.30pm GMT on Saturday, March 25, according to Lincolnshire Live. The darkness will fall in commemoration of Earth Hour, a 60-minute global event which urges action on climate change. This year Earth Hour, organised by WWF, celebrates its 10-year anniversary.

More than 170 countries across the world will be taking part, with millions of homes, schools and businesses switching off their lights, highlighting the need to reduce energy consumption. Other landmarks joining in the event include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye and Edinburgh Castle.

In 2016, more than 6 million people across 78 countries took part in Earth Day, and 400 landmarks switched off their lights.

'The past 24 hours have shown us yet again the impact we can achieve when we unite for a cause,' said Siddarth Das, executive director, Earth Hour Global last year.

'Every light switch turned off represents a call to switch on our collective power and be the first line of defence for our planet as we form the frontlines of climate change.'

The 2017 event is expected to be the biggest yet. Anyone is invited to join in, share on social media with the #EarthHourUK hashtag and 'make noise for climate change action'.

Das added: 'As new climate records are broken month after month, the record-breaking participation of Earth Hour reminds us that we are also witnessing mounting momentum to change climate change. The grassroots are meeting the governments in their ambition for strong climate action, sparking hope for the future we can shape for generations to come.'