by Agence France-Presse The Golden Gate bridge during Earth Hour. Photo courtesy Earth Hour Global via FlickrSAN FRANCISCO — From Sydney Harbor to the world’s tallest tower in Dubai to the ancient pyramids, major landmarks went dark for an hour to join the battle against climate change. In all, a record 4,000 cities and 125 countries participated in Saturday night’s fourth annual Earth Hour, organized by WWF. San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge turned off all but essential lights, and tourist monuments briefly went missing from the skyline, while Twitter and Facebook set up applications to let screens darken for an hour. The annual dimming of lights was hailed by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as “both a warning and a beacon of hope.” “As we watch the lights go out from continent to continent, let us reflect on the fragility and importance of our natural heritage and pledge to protect it for a sustainable future for all,” said the U.N. chief. “From Brazil to America, to Canada, all the way down to Australia, Japan and India — it’s a really diverse set of countries taking part this year,” said Earth Hour Executive Director Andy Ridley. New Zealand’s Chatham Islands officially started the energy-saving demonstration, switching off its diesel generators to leave just 12 street lamps burning. Sydney’s iconic harbor and opera house went dark to the sound of blaring ferry horns. In Beijing, the Forbidden City joined in.

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