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EXPLAINED: Why are the lights going off in Germany for an hour on Saturday?

Created by environmental organisation WWF to raise awareness of climate protection, famous monuments and landmarks around the world will be switching their lights out for Earth Hour, which starts at 8.30pm on Saturday 22nd March. The lights will go out for 60 minutes at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and Cologne Cathedral, for example, as well as the Colosseum in Rome, the Sydney Opera House, New York's Empire State Building, and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. Private households and companies can also get involved in the annual campaign and, as well as switching their lights off for an hour, they're invited to spend those 60 minutes doing something positive for the planet . The WWF say 517 cities and municipalities across Germany have so far signed up to Earth Hour to help protect the planet from irreversible changes – we're currently on track to breach by 2030 the 1.5C global temperature increase limit set by the Paris Climate Agreement if things don't change. This year, the campaign will be even harder to miss with hundreds of singing performances planned across the country. WWF are also calling for climate and environmental protection to be firmly enshrined in the new government's coalition agreement and shape its governance work, said WWF Germany Climate Director Viviane Raddatz. Advertisement The WWF launched Earth Hour in 2007 and, last year, saw lights turned off in thousands of locations in more than 180 countries and territories.