Photos: Dubai's Burj Khalifa goes dark for Earth Hour

Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall turned off its lights to mark Earth Hour.- Photo by Dhes Handumon/Khaleej Times

Dubai - The tallest building in the world Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab and many hotels switched their lights off at 8:30pm.

By Sarwat Nasir

Published: Sat 24 Mar 2018, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Sun 25 Mar 2018, 8:47 AM

Landmarks across Dubai turned off their lights to mark the annual Earth Hour and promote a greener planet.
The tallest building in the world Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab and many hotels switched their lights off at 8:30pm in honour of Earth Hour, being held under the theme 'Let Nature Shine' this year.

Dubai's @BurjKhalifa goes dark for the @earthhour
Pictures by Dhes Handumon/Khaleej Times@MyDowntownDubai pic.twitter.com/6Ou4BnR04K
- Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) March 24, 2018

Expo 2020 Dubai employees also came together to assemble 210 solar-powered lights from the Beacon of Hope UAE, to mark Earth Hour.
The chairwoman of the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG), Habiba Al Marashi said that Earth Hour UAE has "undoubtedly had some of the most positive impacts on our society".
"Due to the active participation and commitment of the government, private companies and citizens, Earth Hour in UAE has transformed into a global phenomenon. This can only be put down to the hard work and commitment of passionate individuals and organisations who have tirelessly worked to raise awareness during the past Earth Hours," she said.
"Events like these give a unique opportunity for people all over the globe to feel united. For one hour, they lose gender, race, nationality and differences to simply become one species united by a common goal to preserve and protect our shared home: Planet Earth."
Other private sector entities also took part in Earth Hour UAE, switching or dimming their lights off for an hour.
Majid Al Futtaim malls dimmed their lights for an hour in the early hours of Saturday. The malls' websites ran on power saving mode for an hour. They also distributed 'seed pencils' to visitors during Earth Hour. When these pencils become too short to write with, they can be planted and the seeds in them will grow. All non-essential exterior and interior lights were also switched off or dimmed across Marsa Plaza, Al Badia Hillside and Al Badia Residences, Festival Tower and Dubai Festival City Mall for an hour between 8:30pm and 9:30pm. The Dubai Festival City Malls social media channels also went black, continuing the trend from last year.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com